Association of Canine Termite Detection Individuals Being Formed

The termite industry is undergoing major changes prompted by the introduction of formidable new technologies. The largest impact at this time is being made by the use of dogs specifically trained to detect the presence of both subterranean and drywood termites by scent alone.

In areas of the United States where termites cause a serious economic threat, this new inspection technique has presented a need for the revision of how the termite industry, its regulators and consumers view the termite inspection process. The need for uniformity of training, certification and education in the area of canine termite detection is becoming extremely important. Explosive detection dogs must be trained to 100% accuracy.

Drs. Phil Koehler and Faith Oi of the University of Florida have established that canines can detect the scent of live termites to at least 90%. More research is being conducted by several other institutions at this time.

In order to establish an umbrella of credibility for this new and highly promising termite inspection alternative, a group of termite professionals are forming the National Canine Termite Detection Association (NCTDA). The NCTDA invites all those professionals who are involved with training, handling and research on termite detection dogs to contact these people:

Doug Vander Poest slugabug@mindspring.com
Jose Tomeu  alapeco@alltel.net
Norm Smith  smidlaps@msn.com