In a freshly cleaned room in a modern chain hotel at one of Britain’s largest airports, Fraggle the spaniel is going about her daily job. As Helen Care, her handler, waits by the door, the two-year-old dog sniffs the air and then busily begins to work her way around the furniture. Suddenly, without warning, Fraggle stops stock-still, her nose pointing directly towards one corner of the bed. The target located, she will not move again until her 46-year-old owner rewards her — throwing her a yellow tennis ball that she gleefully grasps in her mouth and starts playing with.
For Fraggle it’s all a game. But for Helen and her colleagues this is a deadly serious business — the frontline of the fight against a 21st century invasion of bloodsucking bedbugs. And it’s being fought not just in hotels but in planes, trains, theatres, cinemas, pubs and restaurants. With noses that are up to 100,000 times more powerful than ours, these Highly Trained Canines are using their incredible sense of smell to sniff out — and then snuff out — infestations.
Which is just as well because across the Channel in France, in recent days the scale of the looming problem has become impossible to ignore. In Paris and other cities, residents say they feel like ‘plague victims’, with photos emerging of streets piled high with discarded mattresses and of packed commuter trains where passengers refuse to sit on the seats. And, given Britain’s proximity to this outbreak of Gallic panic, it is hardly surprising that concern about the critters is growing here by the day — feared because of their itchy bites and the difficulty of eradicating the pests once they have, as you could say, bedded in.
There have been reported sightings on Manchester buses and the London Underground, with the capital’s mayor Sadiq Khan admitting the possibility of bedbugs moving around the Tube network was a ‘real source of concern’ and seats are now being cleaned ‘on a nightly basis’. Luton is said to be a particular hotspot, with residents throwing away beds, ripping up carpets and even abandoning their infested homes. Eurostar, meanwhile, said it had installed ‘preventative measures’ on its trains between London and Paris. As for hotel chains, some have even started asking guests at check-in if they have recently been in France. There are particular concerns about rugby fans, who have been there for the World Cup.
Experts in Britain warn that it will be impossible to prevent a French exchange of bedbugs, something that will only make an already bad situation worse. The canines are able to pinpoint a single living bedbug in a matter of seconds. According to data from pest control firm Rentokil, while there have always been bedbugs in the UK, there has been a 65 per cent increase in infestations in the UK in the year to September. It blames the growth in travel and hotel bookings since the pandemic, plus warmer temperatures globally. The bugs are also believed to be becoming more resistant to pesticides.
But, thankfully, as I have discovered, all is not lost. And it is all down to a band of pet detectives who are already working to take the sting out of this insect invasion. With noses that are up to 100,000 times more powerful than ours, these highly trained canines are using their incredible sense of smell to sniff out — and then snuff out — infestations. Indeed, such are their olfactory superpowers, they are able to pinpoint a single living bedbug in a matter of seconds. Manually conducting a similar search of a room would take a human two to three hours — and most likely fail to spot insects that are no larger than an apple pip.
First used in the U.S., now a handful of pest control companies have started to deploy bedbug dogs here. Among them is Merlin Environmental, who have 18 dogs on their books. Like other UK pest control firms, it has seen a ‘significant increase’ in bedbug call-outs in recent years. ‘We already deal with the largest hotel chains in the country, also a lot of standalone, boutique and five-star hotels including one of the most recognisable hotels in London,’ says Tim West, the company’s commercial director.
‘But at the moment, because of the panic in Paris we are getting calls from clients we have not worked with for three or four years. They are asking if they can start up again. We normally would conduct screening in hotels quarterly or monthly. One hotel rang up and asked if we could do it weekly. It is the fear factor — they feel they need to be doing something.’
Our visit takes place in the middle of the day, making use of the hours between check-out and check-in when most of the rooms are empty or being cleaned. Knocking on the doors, the handlers announce that they are ‘hotel maintenance’ before going inside. Even if guests see the dogs working, few ask why they are there. Given the airport location, most people assume they are being trained to search for drugs or explosives, says Tim.
Once inside the room, the dog’s training takes over. ‘They are trained like any other search dogs,’ says Helen, whose previous jobs include being a police officer and a prison guard. ‘They are given a reward when they find the scent. It is all done through positive reinforcement.’
The teams split up, each taking a floor. It takes just a few minutes for the dogs working their way from one room to another. It doesn’t take long for Fraggle to alert Helen with her rigid “stock-still” stance that there is something of interest to sniff out. Helen rewards her with a Yellow Tennis Ball, which Fraggle happily catches and begins to play with.
The work they do is essential in preventing the spread of bedbugs and keeping establishments free of infestations. While the problem may be growing, these highly trained canines offer a glimmer of hope in the battle against the tiny pests. With their incredible sense of smell, they are able to detect infestations quickly and accurately, enabling technicians to take appropriate action to eliminate the bugs.
In a time where bedbug infestations are on the rise, these bedbug detection dogs are on the frontlines, working tirelessly to combat the problem. Their unique abilities make them invaluable in the fight against these pests, offering a solution where traditional methods may fall short.
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