Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Tools/ideas for fighting bed bugs
Can I buy some bedbugs?
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slackdammit
newbite
Joined: Aug '10
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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Aug 27 2010 16:24:47
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I am considering training a sniffer dog. Step #1 would seem to be acquiring bugs, establishing a colony, and managing same . Can I get some help with this?
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oldtimer
Joined: Mar '08
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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Aug 27 2010 17:14:10
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I'll sell them to you only if you can find where I hide them =)
Just kidding ... It is a good question ... Maybe Lou could answer?
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WGarrow
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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Aug 27 2010 18:54:13
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Are you sure that you're not planning to set them loose in the bedroom of your ex? (jk lol)
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oldtimer
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Aug 28 2010 8:23:10
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Hi,
I would think step 1 is to obtain the skills to train dogs and then apply those skills to training them for bedbugs.
Obtaining samples may be as simple as befriending you local pest controller and asking them for some to help you in exchange for working with them when the dog is trained.
When I had a team trained for us in the UK I went to an established and highly recommended dog handler and asked them to work on a program of training which we developed together. This ensured that the process was not biased but it still took 3 - 6 months to get reliable results.
If you are already a dog trainer then you will be more than half the way there, if you are not start at that point and work out from there.
David Cain
Bed Bugs Limited -
bug-tired
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Aug 28 2010 9:33:11
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Feel free to stop by my place! You can have as many as you can find, for free.
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slackdammit
newbite
Joined: Aug '10
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Aug 28 2010 13:56:57
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JOKESTERS, an infestation of jokesters. Thank you Mr. Cain, I am processing your suggestion.
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loubugs
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Aug 28 2010 15:43:26
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It's a good thing David wrote what he did, so I didn't have to.;). Anyway, if you react badly to bed bug bites, don't bother continuing to try to train your dog for bed bug detection.
Second, you have to know your dog: You can't just take a pet dog and try to train it to hunt for bed bugs especially if you have really never done any dog training. If your dog doesn't have the temperament for this kind of work, you won't be able to train it and it probably won't focus on doing it.
Last, you also have to know that there are other insects in homes and you don't want to train your dog on bed bugs only to find out you've been training them on carpet beetles and spider beetles and cockroaches and various ant species, too. If you use vials of bed bugs but the vials include shed skins, dead bed bugs, egg shells, lots of fecal contamination, then you haven't been training your dog to alert to only live bed bugs, have you, even though there are live bed bugs somewhere in that vial?
And, there's lots of training hours and retraining hours. -
slackdammit
newbite
Joined: Aug '10
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Aug 29 2010 18:59:32
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Loubug, I do indeed react badly to bedbug bites. I understand that it is necessary to have a healthy colony of bugs in order to train and sustain the sensitivity of the dogs. Generally, the handler allows the bugs to bite him/her to for nourishment. I will not do that. I want to find an alternative method like fresh blood, another person who will do it, another mammal for them to feed upon, or whatever.
I have read that cone noses, aka, kissing bugs, evolved as parasites upon desert rodents. As well, bedbugs most likely evolved with some other host. Very good to find another host, wouldn't we all agree?
Second, I do not have a pet dog, do not want one. The intention is to buy a breeding pair as puppies and train them from the gitgo. Dogs are the subject of other threads, so I won't get into that here.
Many thanks, Lou, for your post. It will likely be useful to several readers beyond my sillyself. -
peppy
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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Aug 30 2010 0:10:40
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My response comes from the perspective of someone involved in animal rescue. I see you say that you aren't interested in having a pet dog, and are going to purchase a pair of puppies to train to detect bedbugs. I have to imagine that, even if they are trained from puppyhood, not all dogs will be suited to be bedbug sniffing dogs. If that is the case, what is your plan for these dogs? Will you keep them as pets, despite saying you don't want pet dogs? If not, do you have someone responsible who will take them in?
Since you haven't done this before, it seems to me like things could definitely go wrong, and I worry about the welfare of the dogs in that case. I also wonder how you will manage to find someone willing to be a bedbug feeder for you. I know you said you could use another mammal, but how would that work? Would you buy a cat so it can be bait for bedbugs? I think the bugs might still choose to feed on you, and since you don't want to be bait, I can see that as another problem down the road.
I hate to be very negative, but I strongly encourage you to think of the welfare of the animals you are using for this endeavor before beginning. Even if the dogs are great at sniffing bugs, what happens if one of them displaces a hip in five years, or gets arthritis in ten, and can no longer sniff for the bugs? Or what happens when a miracle cure for bedbugs is invented and no one needs bug sniffing dogs anymore?
(Huge optimism!!!) I see way too many purebreds, puppies, kittens, dogs and cats put down at shelters daily to not bring this up.
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I thought you wanted to buy some so you could torture them.
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tisIsaidthefly
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Posts: 176offline
Posted 2 years ago
Mon Aug 30 2010 7:56:32
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I am sorry slackdamnit but this is not a good idea and I will tell you why. You don't love or even like dogs. Dogs aren't like a machine that simply needs fuel and to be kept clean and well oiled etc. They require love, real love. Second, what do you mean "a breeding pair?" Do you plan on breeding these dogs? I hope not because there's already way too many dogs without homes, beautiful dogs that wind up being euthanized because there's no place for them. Also to think about - if you react badly to bed bug bites, you are probably not going to handle being around insecticides too well either. I react badly to bed bugs and when I say badly, I mean that when I get bit, it doesn't just itch - it hurts and it hurts a LOT and causes me to lose my breath and my heart races too. I also happen to be extremely sensitive to insecticides and get really sick when my neighbors spray without warning me so that I can at least open my windows and use fans etc.
I am sorry to be a negative influence but it doesn't sound like a well planned idea and I really doubt it's the right situation for you.
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slackdammit
newbite
Joined: Aug '10
Posts: 6offline
Posted 2 years ago
Mon Aug 30 2010 11:28:19
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At the top of this page is the question: Can I buy some bedbugs?
Admonishments have come from all sides. Not exactly what I am looking for. Once again, with feeling: Can I buy some bedbugs?
Slack -
slackdammit
newbite
Joined: Aug '10
Posts: 6offline
Posted 2 years ago
Wed Sep 1 2010 4:19:32
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"The bugs have probably been biting our ancestors since they moved from trees to caves. The bugs are “nest parasites” that fed on bats and cave birds like swallows before man moved in."
So, there are alternative hosts!
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/31/science/31bedbug.html?ref=science -
Jacksfullofaces
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Joined: Apr '10
Posts: 163offline
Posted 2 years ago
Wed Sep 1 2010 5:37:48
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Hi Slack
Perhaps I should list an auction on Ebay
Selection of Bedbugs
Includes pregnant fertile female with potential for further youngsters, hunky young stud male and viable eggs. Several lively hatchlings will be included.A fine investment for the founding of a new colony. Fresh from London and newly fed - prefers blood group A+.
Probably have the animal rights activists banging on our door lol
Buyer collects - no refunds available if bug dies in transit -
slackdammit
newbite
Joined: Aug '10
Posts: 6offline
Posted 2 years ago
Fri Sep 3 2010 11:07:21
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I heard a story on BBC about efforts to eradicate the tsetse fly in Africa. The approach, highly successful, is to place multiple containers that release attractant smells. The flys come around and are fed blood containing a lethal insecticide. Rather straightforward.
According to the NYT article linked above, researchers use a plastic film called "permafilm" to provide a feeding interface through which bedbugs suck their meals.
Apparently, most of the factors to support the development of a fairly simple bedbug trap are in place. I speculate that some serious players, like say Monsanto, are working on it 24/7. In the next year or two, a pretty good unitized solution to the bedbug problem is likely to hit the market. I do not believe the future of bedbug control rests with sniffer dogs. I place my bets on the chemists.
Slack
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