If people in Wisconsin are sleeping tight these days, they might have a dog named Max to thank.

The 22-pound beagle is the latest, and possibly most efficient, way of detecting bed bugs for Wil-Kil Pest Control. The tiny insects have made an unwelcome comeback in the past decade.

That means the phrase "don't let the bed bugs bite" is less of a children's rhyme and more of a potential liability issue for hotels, apartments and a possible problem in any situation where people move from place to place.

"Right now, hotel rooms and apartment complexes are taking apart rooms, spending a lot of manpower to try to find bed bugs," said Randy Allen, Wil-Kil's regional manager. "We can bring Max in and within minutes he can sweep through a room and find bed bugs or certify that a room is bed bug-free."

Wil-Kil, which is treating or looking for bed bugs on a daily basis, brought Max on board in October. The dog is based in Milwaukee, where his services cost $300 an hour. Outside the Milwaukee area, the company charges $400 an hour. Max is a busy dog, checking out hotels, apartments, universities, nursing homes and private homes.

In Madison, the Concourse Hotel uses Max monthly.

"We feel it's a very good investment on our part," said Nattika Wattanasuttiwong, director of rooms at the Concourse. "Max is definitely not cheap, but we can assure our guests that we have some sort of security that we get this checked. If Max doesn't find anything all year long, we're happy because we know."

While working, the beagle quickly swoops through a room, nosing his way by the beds, the television cabinets, the chairs and anyplace else the insects might be lurking. On one recent inspection, the only time he stopped was to pinpoint a test vial of the scent that was hidden to keep him alert during his work.