BLACKSBURG, VA (Virginia Farm Bureau) — Man’s best friend has a new job: Sniffing out an invasive pest threatening crops and ecosystems.
Spotted lanternflies continue to spread across Virginia. And as experts seek ways to track and control their populations, a new Virginia Tech study found that trained citizen dog-handling teams may offer a solution.
Researchers from Virginia Tech and Texas Tech University recently recruited and trained 182 volunteer dog-handler teams from across the country to detect SLF egg masses. Resembling mud or lichen hidden on trees, rocks, vehicles and other surfaces, the egg masses are notoriously difficult for people to find—but not for dogs and their powerful noses…