After the Olympics

Sniffer dog to ward off bedbugs at the airport

(Bild: Georgy Dzyura - stock.adobe.com)

There are fears in South Korea that bedbugs could be brought in with the luggage of those returning from the Olympics in Paris. To avert the danger, a specially trained sniffer dog is to eliminate the little pests.

The two-year-old beagle Ceco can sniff out the blood-sucking pests within two minutes, as the pest control company Cesco announced on Tuesday. Ceco recognizes the bedbugs by the smell of their attractants, the pheromones, and has a hit rate of 95 percent.

The dog will be sniffing for the parasites at the airport in the South Korean capital Seoul over the coming weeks:

"From August 9 to September 8 - the day the Paralympics come to an end - a bedbug sniffer dog will be available at Incheon Airport," explained a spokesperson for the authorities. In addition, exterminators will help check luggage and airplanes will be disinfected more frequently.

Bedbugs return
Around 140 South Korean athletes have already returned from Paris in the past few days. The country had no problems with bedbugs for years, but reports increased after the end of the coronavirus pandemic. According to official figures, 950 cases were reported between November and February. In Paris last year, reports of an alleged bedbug infestation alarmed the authorities and led to several school closures.