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Fozzie and Scott Hurst of Salem, Virginia, search a park bench for evidence of the invasive spotted lanternfly \u2013 credit Clark DeHart for Virginia Tech.<\/p>\n Fozzie and Scott Hurst of Salem, Virginia, search a park bench for evidence of the invasive spotted lanternfly \u2013 credit Clark DeHart for Virginia Tech.<\/p>\n
A real-world trial at Virginia Tech<\/a> has shown that ordinary dogs and their owners can help combat a major invasive insect species from taking hold in their communities.<\/p>\n The spotted lanternfly, native to Asia, was first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014. Since then, it\u2019s spread rapidly to 18 states, laying its eggs on trees, stone, lumber, and even cars and trailers, where it can hitch a ride to a new home.<\/p>\n Catching the bug early is key\u2014but finding its egg masses is no easy task. That\u2019s where your dog comes in.<\/p>\n With a sense of smell that\u2019s tens of thousands of times more acute than a human\u2019s, dogs can be trained to sniff out spotted lanternfly egg masses without disturbing the environment.<\/p>\n \u201cThey often resemble mud smears or lichens and are tucked into bark crevices, cracks, or hidden undersides,\u201d said Mizuho Nita, a plant pathologist at Virginia Tech who co-authored the results of the field study<\/a>. \u201cFinding them is like searching for a needle in a haystack.\u201d<\/p>\n Previous research has shown that professional conservation detection dogs can find them quite often. But professional dogs are expensive, and there aren\u2019t nearly enough of them to cover the growing threat.<\/p>\n That\u2019s where Sally Dickinson, the lead author on the study who recently obtained her Ph.D. from Virginia Tech\u2019s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, thought that they might be able to enlist the help of citizen scientists.<\/p>\n \u201cWith proper training, dog owners can turn their pets into powerful partners for conservation,\u201d Dickinson said.<\/p>\n Many dog owners participate in sporting scent games\u2014teaching their dogs to track different scents and having sort of scavenger hunts to enrich their companions\u2019 lives. Even if the breed isn\u2019t bred specifically for following scent trails, most dogs can do it.<\/p>\n 182 human-dog teams from across the US were selected and given devitalized, that is, non-hatching lanternfly egg masses, as training aids. Participants trained their dogs at home or in small groups, with oversight from a designated local trainer.<\/p>\n After several months of training, the dogs were put to the test in two environments\u2014one indoor and one outdoor. In the controlled indoor environment, dogs had to complete an odor recognition test, identifying the box with the spotted lanternfly egg mass from among multiple boxes with other items and scents.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-1-1024x607.jpg\")
(Left) A spotted lanternfly egg mass hides in plain sight \u2013 credit, courtesy of Sally Dickinson (Right) A mature spotted lanternfly \u2013 credit, Theresa Dellinger for Virginia Tech<\/p>\n