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Exterminators using hound to sniff out bed bugs in Windsor, Ont.

Exterminators are turning to a bug-hunting canine named Mack to check for signs of bed bugs after the insects were reported in a library system in southwestern Ontario.

All Essex County libraries expected to reopen following bed bug scare

CBC News ·
Mack isn't trained to find the bugs themselves, instead he looks for their scent. (Meg Roberts/CBC)

Exterminators are turning to a bug-hunting canine named Mack after bed bugs were reported in a library system in southwestern Ontario.

The Essex County Library system, which serves several rural municipalities surrounding Windsor, closed temporarily after bed bugs were found in five locations.

Mack and his trainer are both certified to hunt bugs. Using his sense of smell, Mack seeks out the bugs' unique scent. When he finds them, he raises his paw and then scratches at the area until he's given a treat. After a quick break, he's back to work, going through the entire library.

Mack, a hound trained to find the scent of bed bugs is working at the LaSalle branch of the Essex County Library. (Meg Roberts/CBC)

Searching the LaSalle branch on Thursday, Mack found a few spots where the pesky insects were living.

Exterminators will be taking care of for those bugs and officials expect all 14 branches of the library to reopen Friday.

Any books found to have bed bugs living inside them will immediately be sealed in plastic bags for three weeks to kill off the bugs and eggs.  

The library says bed bugs are not a public health concern and are classified as a 'nuisance' by public health officials.

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