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Frankie, a Jack Russell terrier, is faster and more accurate than human bed-bug detectors, says Sean Rollo, manager of the Burnaby branch of Orkin PCO Services.

Frankie can sniff out bed bugs in mere minutes, where a pest control technician might take several hours to locate them, according to Rollo.

Frankie, a onetime rescue dog from a Florida animal shelter, makes his Victoria debut today. There's no time for sightseeing between demonstrations and his paid work at understandably anonymous locations.

Let Frankie loose in a hotel room, he'll plunk right down with tail wagging and nose pointed at any bed-bug infestation, according to Rollo. His is a learned skill; he has had over 600 hours of scent detection training in Florida before coming to the Lower Mainland earlier this year. He is one of only two such trained dogs believed to be in British Columbia.

The bed-bug sniffing dogs are one weapon in the war against the rise in bed bugs. Over the past decade, the red, watermelon seed-sized creatures have been on the move, feeding on more and more householders and hotel guests. Rollo's office receives five to 10 bed-bug calls each week.

Bed bugs can be found at even the best of addresses, according to Rollo. Sanitation has nothing to do with it. A far more likely explanation is the decrease in pesticide use. Pesticides now used are species-specific rather than broad-spectrum, which in the past wiped out more than just the targeted pest.

The first hint of bed bugs often is itching and red bumps on the lower legs. However, not always, warns Rollo. "Seventy per cent of the population don't react to bed bugs. You could have them and not know it," he says.

They are not easily spotted by householders. They are small night-time feeders, Rollo says. They do have a distinct odour, something akin to body odour or a rotting syrup smell. "I can walk into a room and, if it's badly infected I can [smell it], but we're talking hundreds and hundreds," he says.

If that's the case, there's no need for a bed-bug sniffing dog. The same goes for a successful bed check. "If you see bed bugs, you don't need Frankie," he says Rollo.

Instead, dogs such as Frankie sniff out early arrivals before they become a major infestation. Once bed bugs are found, a special vacuum goes over the area, followed by heat treatment. If necessary, pesticides are then used, says Rollo, who won't say how much Frankie's services cost.

jgibson@tc.canwest.com