Shawn Brooks with the University of Florida's Department of Entomology and Nematology, Gainesville, Fla

Editor's note: The following information is the result of research relating to structural pest management from the University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.

Termite Detection Has Gone to the Dogs

You've probably seen magazine articles or TV commercials about canine-assisted termite detection. Pest management companies have been using dogs to help find termites since the mid-1970s, but many pest management professionals (PMPs) dismiss these dogs as a public relations gimmick used to lure in customers.

Current research at the University of Florida, however, is proving dogs can be trained to reliably locate termites. Dr. Phil Koehler and I have teamed up with J & K Canine Academy and Swat Pest Control to conduct research to determine the ability of these specially trained dogs to locate termites. So far, we've found six dogs (specially trained to detect termites with the United States Customs methods of narcotics detection) that are 96 percent accurate in finding 40 or more termites. Especially impressive is that the false indication rate for the dogs is only three percent. All the dogs were trained solely with Eastern subterranean termites (Reticulitermes flavipes), but they are not very good termite taxonomists. They also responded to dark southern subterranean termites (R. virginicus), Formosan termites (Coptotermes formosanus), powderpost drywood termites (Cryptotermes cavifrons) and drywood termites (Incisitermes snyderi) without any further training.

Koehler and I have ruled out acoustic emissions as a possible response variable, and instead are focusing on the source of the odor that causes the dogs to respond. Currently, the dogs are being tested to determine whether they will respond to termite-damaged wood, cockroaches and carpenter ants. Field surveys are also are being collected to compare the accuracy of visual inspections by PMPs to canine-assisted inspections of homes. Further research is being conducted to compare the speed and accuracy of K-9s to inspect bait stations for termite activity.Properly trained and handled dogs can reliably detect termites and locate the source of infestation in structures. Because termite damage is often hidden, PMPs may often overlook infestations during inspection and/ortreatment of houses. These dogs offer the potential of improving the reliability of termite inspections and allowing PMPs to target treatments to areas where termites are entering structures.

Shawn Brooks - University of Florida