RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina Pest Management Association (NCPMA) held its 61st Annual Pest Control Technicians’ (PCT) School Jan. 18-20 at the Hilton North Raleigh in Raleigh, N.C.

The program included the launch of the first classes of its continuing education requirement for renewals of the Wood-Destroying Insects Report (WDIR) Accreditation Program, which trains and provides accreditation to wood-destroying insect inspectors.

The NCPMA WDIR Accreditation Program was designed specifically to train wood-destroying insect inspectors in North Carolina and provide the tools they need to properly spot damage to homes from termites and other wood-destroying insects.

“Nearly half of the accredited wood-destroying Insects inspectors in North Carolina have accreditation credits expiring in 2011, and this is the first time that we are providing continuing education courses as part of the reaccreditation process,” said Chuck Hazelwood of Go-Forth Pest Management in High Point and chair of the NCPMA Wood-Destroying Insects Accreditation Committee.

“Because the WDIR Accreditation Program was designed to standardize the wood-destroying inspection process, we have created this continuing education course to ensure that our inspectors have the most current training and knowledge,” Hazelwood said.

NCPMA designed the program to address the fine points of proper inspection and reporting on the Wood-Destroying Insects Reporting (WDIR) 100 form. The WDIR 100 form is required on every residential structure sold in North Carolina and notes the visual evidence of the presence or absence of wood-destroying insects in the building.

“Not all wood-destroying insect inspectors are accredited by our association, and homeowners should ask if an inspector has received accreditation from NCPMA before hiring them,” said Lee Smith of Rid-A-Pest in Morehead City, N.C., and a board member of the association. “NCPMA-accredited inspectors receive special state-of-the-art training that non-accredited inspectors do not.”

More than 600 inspectors have completed the WDIR Accreditation Program since 2001, and there are currently nearly 500 accredited inspectors in the state. All inspectors seeking accreditation must complete a one-day training course and pass a written exam. Accredited inspectors seeking reaccreditation must complete a one-hour training course every three years.

An inspector who has passed the NCPMA Wood-Destroying Insects accreditation course receives a special stamp that is used on every completed WDIR 100 Form.

For more information about NCPMA, visit www.ncpestmanagement.org.