South Korean sniffer dog searches for post-Olympic bedbugs

Ceco, a two-year-old beagle, is trained to detect the smell of pheromones unique to bedbugs and can locate the blood-sucking pests within two minutes with an accuracy rate of 95 percent. Image: Yonhap / AFP©

South Korea said on Tuesday it had deployed its first sniffer dog trained to detect bedbugs to prevent a possible infestation as athletes return from the Paris Olympics.

South Korea won 32 medals, including 13 golds, to finish eighth overall in the medal standings, and around 140 of its athletes have returned to Seoul over the past week.

The sniffer dog, named Ceco, was deployed at the main airport in Seoul as part of an initiative between the government and South Korea's largest pest control company, Cesco. 

Ceco, a two-year-old beagle, is trained to detect the smell of pheromones unique to bedbugs and can locate the blood-sucking pests within two minutes with an accuracy rate of 95 percent, Cesco said in a statement.

"From August 9 to September 8—the day the Paralympics concludes—bedbug detection dog services will be available at Incheon Airport for those who wish to utilise them," said a spokesperson for the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

The initiative also includes bedbug control experts with more than 10 years experience to help search luggage. Aircraft disinfection has also been increased from once a month to once a week, focusing on the Paris-Incheon route.

South Korea had been largely bedbug-free for years but infestations rose as travel rebounded after the Covid-19 pandemic.

More than 950 cases were reported between November and February, official statistics show.

Paris struggled with a bedbug outbreak last year, with a surge of reported sightings sending a shudder through France during the summer and autumn and prompting several school closures.