Dids – Trust K9

Trust K9 and Bed Bug Dogs at Pest Tech

Trust K9 will be demonstrating our Bed Bug Sniffer Dogs at this year’s the NPTA’s PestTech in Solihull on 7^th November. Mark Astley, Trust K9’s founder, will speak about how Bed Bug Dogs can help to detect and control bed bugs in hotels, care homes, universities and people’s homes.

As well as working independently, Trust K9 work with other Pest Control and Facilities management extending the list of Services they have available.

PestTech is viewed as the largest one-day Pest Control Exhibition in Europe. PestTech has been running since 1993 and provides the Pest Control Industry with an opportunity to come face to face with each other.

Come and visit us!

Trust K9 will be located on Stand 20 in the Premier Suite at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihulll on 7th November.

Mark will be talking in the Crow’s Nest at 10.30am with Lola our bed bug sniffer dog.

Email info@trustk9.com or call for more information.

Why use Heat Treatment for Bed Bugs

Trust K9 specialise in detecting and getting rid of bed bugs. Customers usually come to us for heat treatment for the following reasons:

They want immediate results.
Bed Bug Eggs cannot be killed with any type of chemical and so heat treatment is the only way to get rid of a bed bug infestation immediately. Hotels use us for heat for this reason. Although a correctly applied chemical treatment will get rid of bed bugs it will mean enduring bites for a few weeks, this is not good for hotel guests!

They have been on holiday and are worried that they might bring bed bugs home
We have a mobile heat service where we can pick up your luggage from the airport or you can bring it to our offices for an 8 hour heat treatment to ensure you don’t take bed bugs home with you

They are landlords and their property is uninhabited
A chemical treatment will not be fully effective if the property is unninhanitied. Bed bugs need to be lured out by humans (Co2) and if the property is empty then they will lay dormant and may go into diapause. Heat Treatment kills bed bugs and eggs immediately, so the house of flat will be ready for its new occupants to move in

They are moving to a new house and are worried they will take bed bugs with them
We always recommend that people get rid of a bed bug problem before they move. In some cases this is not always possible and so if you only have your belongings and some small furniture, you can bring this to us for a mobile heat treatment to ensure that you don’t take bed bugs to your new home.

Why use a bed bug dog?

At Trust K9 we are used to the look of surprise when we tell people what we do. “A dog that sniffs out bed bugs?” people say in disbelief. Well yes indeed.

Dogs are used to detect all number of things because of their keen sense of smell. Dogs use scent more than their other senses to interpret the world. A dog’s nose has around 60 x more scent detecting cells than a human!

Dogs are used to detect scent in many fields including the Police, Coast Guards, Armed Forces and Custom Control. So then the next question we are asked is, why do people need a bed bug dog?

Early Infestations

Although bed bugs are visible to the naked eye you only really start to see physical signs of bed bugs once a bed bug infestation is 4-6 weeks old. Customers often come to us when they know they have stayed somewhere that they have since found out has bed bugs.

Recently we had a couple whose son had been travelling in Australia and had left his luggage in their house for a week whilst he sorted out a flat-share. He later told them he had been bitten repeatedly by bed bugs whilst travelling and so they naturally were worried he had bought them into their home. Happily, one of our bed bug dogs, Alfie, was able to give them the all clear!

Catching bed bugs early usually means that Trust K9 or other bed bug specialists will be able to get rid of them more quickly.

Large Areas

Anywhere with a large number of rooms to search will benefit from using a bed bug dog. Bed bug canines take just 2-3 minutes to search a room, meaning they can search hundreds of rooms a day in hotels, hostels and care homes etc.

We are seeing a shift in attitudes with Hotels using us to proactively monitor their rooms, so that if a problem is detected we can eliminate the bed bugs before they cause the guests too much grief!

Peace of Mind

If you have ever been unlucky enough to get bed bugs, you will understand how much they can get into your head, as well as your bed.

We often get call-outs to people who have had bed bugs previously and think they may have got them again. If you cannot find physical evidence it can be hard to determine if you actually have an infestation or whether you are being paranoid about either another biting insect or skin complaint.

A bed bug dog gives our customers peace of mind. Either to let them know they don’t have a bed bug infestation and can sleep easy, or if they do have one – we can get rid of them quickly.

Bed bug bites- what should I do?

Trust K9 know that bed bug bites can be itchy and painful. But firstly, how do you identify a bed bug bite and then, how can you relieve the symptoms?

“Does this look like a bed bug bite?” is one of the most common questions I get asked when I arrive on a job. The truth is it is not always easy to tell from just looking at the bite marks. Some people can have an extreme reaction where the bite swells up almost immediately and the majority of people actually suffer no visible reaction at all.

The reason for this variance in reactions between person to person is down to the individual’s immune system as it is the body reacting to the anticoagulant and local anaesthetic that the bed bug injects as it bites.

Commonly, bed bugs will bite the extremities of the body, so face, hands, wrists, ankles are all common places. Bed bugs also tend to leave 3 bites in a row or triangle – sometimes referred to as ‘breakfast lunch and dinner!’

A small minority of people may even experience allergic reactions. If you are concerned about any reactions you should speak to a medical professional.

Another thing that understandably worries people is the long term health risks of bed bug bites and the latest research shows that there is no evidence that bed bug bites spread any disease at all.

So how can I stop the itching?

Aside from the stress that a bed bug infestation can cause, the worst symptom is the itching and discomfort that the bites can cause. Fortunately there are some simple things you can do to ease the discomfort and reduce the appearance of bites:

Bio-oil or another moisturiser to repair skin and reduce scarring
Antihistamines to ease allergic reaction (tablets or creams)
Chamomile lotion can ease the itching when used topically

Always speak to your pharmacist or doctor before using any medication.

If you aren’t sure if you are being bitten by bed bugs, contact Trust K9 for free advice and remember our bed bug dogs will sniff out an infestation if you really aren’t sure if its bed bugs that won’t let you sleep tight!