A French Crisis: Can dogs sniff out bedbugs from the country?

No more a city of “love,” it has become a “city of bugs.”Bedbug infestations in Paris and other French cities have sparked a wave of insectophobia.This has caused severe concerns about health and safety as millions of people are anticipated in Paris less than a year later for the Olympics.To tackle this, the French administration has decided to deploy sniffer dogs.But will it help? Let's take a look.Sniffer dogs for bug problemSniffer dogs will help inspect French trains and the Paris metro for bedbugs after dozens of reports of infestations, the transport minister said on Wednesday, adding that so far not a single bedbug had been found.According to Reuters, Clement Beaune said there had been about ten traveller reports about bedbugs at Paris public transport operator RATP and 37 at rail operator SNCF in recent weeks."When there is a problem, we deal with it, we won't deny it. There is no outbreak of bedbugs in public transport," Beaune said after meeting with transport operators and travel associations.Beaune said all French public transport operators will boost health procedures in general and the fight against bedbugs in particular, notably with canine sniffer teams, which he said were the most effective means of detection.[caption id="attachment_13207042" align="alignnone" width="640"] Salim Dahou, biocide technician from the company Hygiene Premium, comes out of the bathroom after preparing the insecticide against bedbugs in L'Hay-les-Roses, near Paris, France. Reuters[/caption]He added that every three months, data will be published about all bedbug reports and any confirmed infestations."Total transparency will bring total confidence," he said, adding that there was "no need for psychosis or fear."Beaune also plans to meet pest control companies and aims to organise a conference about solutions to any potential problem by the end of this month.A man’s best friend is perfect for the jobExterminators are often seen using bedbug-sniffing dogs while marketing these days.This is because the canines may be taught to detect bedbugs thanks to their keen sense of smell.ABC News' 20/20 show installed hidden cameras at a home in Brooklyn, New York, and scheduled appointments with 10 teams of exterminators and their dogs to test if dogs would detect bedbugs in a house without any signs of bedbug infestation.While speaking to the New York-based news channel, Matt Fabry, exterminator and owner of Town & Country Pest Solutions in Rochester, New York, said, "You just want to make sure that that dog is really exposing a live bedbug," adding that because false alarms can cost a lot of money.“And if he’s really hungry, he’s going to do false alerts... and bark, and there won’t be a bedbug there," Fabry said.Dogs can help here as they can lead their handler after sniffing bedbug odour. The canines can then be rewarded with treats. To avoid any false alarms, Fabry suggests asking the exterminator to "show" you the bedbugs if their dog has alerted them to their presence.The Bed Bug Combat Manual author Paul Bello and Lou Sorkin, an entomologist from Entsult Associates in New York's Rye Brook, initially searched the house but discovered no signs of bedbugs. However, four out of 11 dogs on the show got it wrong and alerted to bedbugs in the home even though there were none.Missy Henriksen of the National Pest Management Association told on the television programme, "Our industry is filled with professionals that are committed to customer satisfaction. There is no cookie-cutter approach to pest control. It’s the handler’s job to make sure the dog is alerting to bed bugs.”Entomologist Sorkin advises homeowners not to come under the pressure of getting an expensive treatment every time a dog alerts them to the odour when there are none.Instead, he advises using bedbug monitors or traps that are easily available in stores. He says, "It’s less than $100 to do some monitoring and thousands of dollars to do a treatment.”A wave of disgustFrance is now in a panic mode as citizens have started posting videos of the insects crawling around in high-speed trains, the Paris metro, in theatres and even Charles de Gaulle airport. Several rail passengers insisted on standing up rather than being bitten by sitting on the seats.[caption id="attachment_13207052" align="alignnone" width="640"] Bed bugs are seen in a sofa bed, in L'Hay-les-Roses, near Paris, France. Reuters[/caption]This comes as the Emmanuel Macron-led country is hosting the Rugby World Cup and preparing itself to host the Paris Olympics, which will draw millions of visitors from all over the world.According to The Guardian, fumigation companies have also noted an increase in demand since bedbugs have returned.The reports have gotten to the highest levels of government.The capital's deputy mayor, Emmanuel Gregoire wrote a letter to Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne this week calling for an urgent action. He said, "The state urgently needs to put an action plan in place against this scourge as France is preparing to welcome the Olympic and Paralympic games in 2024."Notably, as nations urbanise and foreign travel soars, bedbugs — which had mostly vanished from daily life by the 1950s — have returned.The bugs, which may get up to 5mm long and 3mm wide, are also becoming harder to treat with chemicals.They are often found in bedding, clothing, and baggage. They feed on human blood at night, frequently causing psychological distress, difficulty sleeping, and concern.French newspaper Le Parisien carried a front-page article describing the matter as a "domestic terror."With inputs from agencies