New Rapid City business "Bugger Off" uses K-9 to find Bed Bugs - KOTA Territory News

New Rapid City business "Bugger Off" uses K-9 to find Bed Bugs

Sleep tight don't, let the bed bugs bite. It's not just something mother's say after tucking in their young ones anymore.

Bed bugs are surfacing around the globe, and they can be found just about anywhere. And inspections can be timely costing thousands.

But a new KOTA Territory company has a faster, more accurate way of located the tiny bugs. Just like the K-9's that sniff out drugs or bombs, Blue was hired for his nose.
 
"Blue has found bed bugs at several locations," says Bugger Off Co-Owner Kevin Paul.
 
Paul wasn't sure the idea of a "bug finding" lab would catch on.
 
"At first we were wondering if we'd get any business at all, but there is definitely a need in the area," says Paul.
 
Paul partnered with Entomologist Jonathan Nixon moved to Rapid City for a job with SDSU Extension.
 
"I got inundated with these phone calls about bed bugs, and once I started looking, there's no one out here that's really doing these inspections," says other Co-Owner, Jonathan Nixon.
 
That's when Bugger Off was born.
 
"Did a little research, and found out it was an amazing way of finding bed bugs," says Paul.
 
"People do, do the traditional method of inspection by the magnifying glass and doing it by hand approach they might have a 20% accuracy. Compared to Blue, who runs in and does it in a fraction of the time and is 97% to 99% accurate," says Nixon.

That accuracy stays sharp through daily training.
 
"Hiding bed bugs around your house or different areas just keep his senses sharp, it's just like any other skill, if you don't practice it then you're going to lose it," says Paul.
 
And, keeping those skills honed are important for a growing problem. Nixon says people in the Black Hills are especially vulnerable due to our large tourism industry because the bugs stow away in luggage.

"International travel has picked up dramatically, and in this area you've got Rushmore, Sturgis, there's people coming in from all over the place," says Nixon.
 
Which is why K-9 abilities like Blue's are in such high demand.
 
"From the very beginning we've actually had to turn down more business than we've accepted," says Paul.

Bugger Off only inspects for Bed Bugs. The company does not spray for an infestation, something both owners say allows them to deliver their customers an unbiased inspection.

They charge $300 an hour for their services. Both owners say that is a fraction of what it would cost where they are from in Indiana.