Dog Detectives:
Companion canines join fight against spotted lanternfly | BY CHRISTINA AMANO DOLAN
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rom ancient warriors to modern police K-9s, the remarkable abilities of man’s best friend have benefited humans for thousands of years. Some have put their impeccable noses to innovative uses—sniffing out truffles or detecting plant diseases. Now, companion canines are teaming up with researchers at Virginia Tech and Texas Tech University to take down a new foe—one that’s decimating vineyards, orchards and other lands across the U.S.
The rise of the spotted lanternfly
COURTESY OF VIRGINIA TECH
COURTESY OF VIRGINIA TECH
Native to mainland China, the invasive spotted lanternfly has caused about $325 million a year in damaged crops, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. First detected in Pennsylvania in 2014, they have been found in an additional 13 states since. These “hitchhiking” insects have continued their rapid spread through human-assisted movement—laying eggs on logging trucks and other traveling cargo. Favoring grapevines among 70-plus host plant species, spotted lanternflies have become a “big issue for the wine grape community,” said Mizuho Nita, grape pathology specialist for the Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences. He’s been battling a spotted lanternfly infestation at the school’s research vineyards for the past two years. While his team has managed losses with efficient spraying, slowing the species’ movement requires a more proactive approach. Stomping on the small, grey-colored egg masses will kill the insects before they hatch into swarms, but they’re extremely difficult to spot with the untrained eye, which inspired Nita and fellow researchers to recruit the masters of scent detection.
The Canine Citizen Science Study
With a four-year, $475,000 grant from the USDA, Nita and Erica Feuerbacher, Virginia Tech associate professor of applied animal welfare and behavior, teamed up with Texas Tech associate professor Nathan Hall to launch the Canine Citizen Science Study. “There are lots of dogs that can benefit from even more enrichment, so we thought it would be great to turn this ubiquitous resource of pet dogs and average handlers into an early detection force for some of the many environmental and agricultural issues,” Feuerbacher explained. The project began at a Texas Tech olfactory lab two years ago. Using freeze-killed egg samples provided by Nita, Hall led a series of behavioral and olfactory research studies with shelter dogs. The experiments proved it was possible in a lab setting, with a majority of dogs able to detect the eggs with 95% confidence. In spring 2023, the project’s second phase began exploring the effectiveness of citizen dog teams under the leadership of Sally Dickinson, a doctoral candidate in the Virginia Tech School of Animal Sciences. 10
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Above, Sally Dickinson and her dog, Flint, sniff out spotted lanternflies on grape vines. Mizuho Nita inspects vineyards where he's been battling the pests for the past two years.