Bed Bug Detector On Island

A specific parasite infestation here in Hawaii and across the globe, has grown immensely over the past couple of years.

 But new to the islands is a chemical free and unique tracking device that has a proven 99.5% accuracy rate.

Meet scout, he's a lemon beagle who was rescued from a Florida pound.

 Beagles are known as scent hounds who have a keen sense of smell for tracking and hunting.

 But there's something a little extra special about this pooch. A year and a half ago scout was identified as having exceptional qualities.

 “Specifically bed bugs, only bed bugs and the difference with scout with a lot of other dogs is he is trained to detect only live bed bugs and viable eggs,” Sandwich Isle dog handler Susan Richards said.

 He was purchased and brought to the islands a couple weeks ago to live and work.

 “He stays in Hawaii he lives here now I am his handler during the day,” Richards said.

 Pest control experts say bed bug reports in Hawaii have skyrocketed.

 “Starting back about 3 or 4 years ago we started encountering bed bugs and we are growing at a rate of 800-900 percent a year bed bug calls, Sandwich Isle Pest Solutions Michael Botha said.

 Botha says bed bugs are a problem not only here in Hawaii but across the globe.

 “It has a lot to do with pyrethrin resistance, the bugs that we have today are resistant to the chemicals that are able to treat them as well as there’s lots of other introduced strains coming from other countries,” Botha said.

 Botha decided to bring in the eco-friendly and efficient alternative to sniff out bed bugs which can hide in your carpet, walls and mattresses

 “Bed bugs are pure human parasites they live on human blood,” Botha said.

 But not everyone gets bitten, and you might not even know you have them, once scout finds the bugs the company uses a 4 week long cleaning process to eliminate them.

 “We have been very busy very busy,” Richards said.

Confidentiality agreements prevent us from knowing what businesses have hired scout. He is also the family pet so not all of his time is spent working.

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