Wil-Kil Deploys its Second Bed Bug Sniffing Beagle

Good night, sleep tight,
Don’t let the bed bugs bite…
            - Nursery Rhyme                    

In days gone by, the words from the old nursery rhyme always seemed pleasant and harmless enough. But there is nothing pleasant about bed bugs. In fact, nationally there is a growing concern in the pest management industry about a resurgence in calls to control the nasty little pests.

According to the National Pest Management Association:

• Bed bug calls have increased 81% since 2000
• 67% of pest management companies have received calls to treat hotels/motels
• 76% of the companies said that bed bugs are the most difficult pest to remove
• 90% of companies have treated in homes or apartments
• 4 – 5% have treated in laundry mats or movie theaters
• A female bed bug can produce up to 400 offspring

Controlling, let alone eradicating, this pest is extremely difficult. However, Wil-Kil Pest Control in Menomonee Falls has joined a growing list of pest control services nationwide using dogs to boost their prevention and treatment efforts. In specific, Wil-Kil in the Falls now has two beagles on duty, Max and Daisy.

Since obtaining Max in 2009, Wil-Kil’s bed bug services have increased by 75 percent. Daisy, a two year-old beagle who is handled by Mike Zemanovic of Milwaukee, was recently added to the team. The sniffing dogs, in conjunction with Wil-Kil’s sustainable heat treatment services, have proven to be the most effective solution for detecting and treating bed bugs.

“These dogs are trained to find live bed bugs and their viable eggs,” said Randy Allen, regional manager at Wil-Kil Pest Control. “We take the dog and start at one point in the room and walk through the room. We can go through a hotel room in about 2-3 minutes and through an apartment in a bit longer, 4-5 minutes."

Bed bugs show up just about anywhere people are including residences, movie theatres, retail stores, hospitals, hotels and businesses. The bugs are not disease carriers but they do cause a lot of psychological angst.

“Bed bugs attack you and suck your blood when you are sleeping,” Allen explained.  “So that’s where the anxiety and angst is created. It’s just the thought of having an insect attack you while you’re in a slumber. Everybody reacts to the bites a little bit differently, just like with mosquitoes. Some people will have welts right away and for others, it takes an extended period of time.” 

Wil-Kil uses a combination of treatments to kill bed bugs, including chemical pesticides and the sustainable heat treatment.

“We have three different trailers with generators and several different heaters per trailer,” said Craig Rohde, Wil-Kil’s marketing manager. “We go in and heat up a space (apartment, hotel room, etc.) to 135 degrees. At 113 degrees, bed bugs die within hours. At 120 degrees, they die within minutes. Sensors track the temperature in the room to kill the bed bugs. Bed bugs are naturally attracted to heat and once they get out into the open, they succumb to the heat.”

Of course, travelers frequently encounter bed bugs in hotels. Allen suggests a number of precautions you can take to protect yourself, including:

• Don’t place suitcases on hotel floors or on the hotel bed. Place luggage on a metal suitcase rack or non-upholstered furniture.
• Check hotel bed sheets and mattress seams for unusual blood spots. Carry a small flashlight to assist you with quick visual inspections.
• Inspect suitcases after returning home from vacation for any signs of bed bugs.
• If you carry bed bugs home, seek immediate professional pest control assistance to address the problem.

“You can contact us or collect the bug and bring it in to us for identification,” added Rohde. “It might not even be a bed bug. It could be a tick or even a piece of lint!”

But making sure will give you some peace of mind and it might make it easier to get a good night’s sleep.