Scent Detection Rats. Yes. Rats. HeroRATs.

Today, March 24th, is World TB Day. And Hero Rats are helping to eliminate this terrible disease. HeroRATs work similiar to bed bug dogs, bomb dogs or narcotics dogs. Instead of training to alert on bed bugs, explosives or drugs, HeroRATs have been trained to alert on the TB disease.

Tuberculosis is not a common threat in Canada (4.4 incidents per 100,00). However, citizens in other countries, like Ethopia, are not so lucky - TB kills three people every minute.

Soon a new TB detection facility in Addis Abba, Ethiopia will open its doors and APOPO will be assigning a team of HeroRATs to identify TB positive people that have been missed by public clinics.

APOPO HeroRATS save lives. You too can help by donating to the care of these life saving animals. Adopt A HeroRAT. Spread the word #UniteToEndTB

Mystery of The Dead Bed Bugs in Burnaby Library

Bob Pettrie Metrotown branch The Bob Petrie Metrotown library branch had a bed bug incident.  Several dead bed bugs were discovered in the thriller-mystery section after a lone dead bed bug was found in a book in the same section last week.  The library responded with professional pest control measures – a sniffer dog to seek out live bed bugs, followed with heat-treating the books and steam-cleaning of the shelves for the area where the dead bed bugs were located.  The library went the extra step of contacting recent readers of their thriller-mystery books.

Hubs of Distribution

Locations such as libraries, schools, theatres and public transportation are occassionally the site of an infestation.  They more commonly serve as a hub for bed bug distribution - a transfer point.  A hitch-hiking bed bug may be transported in a purse, backpack or even a coat collar – any convenient hiding spot that offers a tiny, dark harbourage.  The bag is placed on the floor of the library and the bug clambers off in search of a meal or a more secure, stable harbourage - another purse, backpack, coat collar or a convenient nook on a book shelf.  Jean Kavanagh, Vancouver Public Library’s Communications Manager, confirmed some local libraries have already encountered this pest and each incident involved only a few bugs – indicating discovery of the pests was very early in each incident.

Early Detection Is Key

Early detection is the key to control bed bugs and control remediation costs.  The use of bed bug dogs is the quickest and most accurate method to confirm the presence of bed bugs – as employed in the Bob Prittie branch.  Bed bug dogs are also the best choice as a pro-active measure – with regularly scheduled canine inspections – to ensure bed bugs are always detected early.

Bed Bug Mutts offers both targeted and pro-active bed bug canine inspections in Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, Maple Ridge, White Rock, Delta, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Mission, Langley and Chilliwack; man’s best friend for early bed bug detection.