Researchers are deploying specially trained dogs to combat the spread of the invasive spotted lanternfly, a pest that damages trees and fruit crops. The leaf-hopping insect, first detected in the US a decade ago, has been spreading across the east coast and into the midwest, but now dogs are being used to sniff out its eggs before they hatch.
Since late last year, four dogs have been scouring parks in the Cleveland area, uncovering more than 4,000 egg masses. Each mass can produce 30 to 50 spotted lanternflies, meaning the dogs have helped eradicate up to 200,000 of the sap-sucking bugs, according to Connie Hausman, senior conservation science manager at Cleveland Metroparks.
The dogs were trained through a research project led by Virginia Tech University, in partnership with Texas Tech University, with a grant from the US Department of Agriculture. The project, unofficially called the Canine Citizen Science Study, calls on dog owners to put their pets to work. The four dogs in Cleveland already had scent training before honing their noses to detect the spotted lanternflies.
Spotted lanternflies are harmless to humans but feed on the sap of over 70 species of host plants, damaging grapes, fruit trees, hops and hardwoods. Females lay eggs from late August through November, and the egg masses can survive winter on surfaces such as tree trunks, telephone poles, rocks and vehicle undercarriages. Once a dog finds a mass, the handler scrapes it away and gives the dog a treat.
Flint, a border collie trained by owner Sally Dickinson, demonstrated his sniffing skills at Virginia Tech's agricultural centre. Dickinson encouraged dog owners to train their pets to help eradicate the pests, noting that all dogs can smell, though 'smooshy'-nosed dogs may not work as well in hot weather.
