Scientists use dogs to track down dangerous insects: ‘Easier for a dog to smell something than it is for a human to see something’

The Wildlife Society reports that organizations like the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference and Working Dogs for Conservation are putting dogs and their keen sense of smell to good use in the fight against an invasive species: the spotted lanternfly. Sightings of the destructive insect were first confirmed in 2014 in Pennsylvania and have reached at least 18 other states.

As the referenced study published in Ecosphere discovered, humans have spotted visible eggs in vineyards, but canines had 3.4 times more detections than people in more complex areas where the insects overwinter, such as forests. In other words, they can sniff out invasions that aren’t obvious to humans.

“The dogs find egg masses by smell,” Angela Fuller, professor in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at Cornell University, told The Wildlife Society. “So, in a very complex environment, it’s easier for a dog to smell something than it is for a human to see something that is small and cryptic.”

These insects are harmful to the environment as they destroy vegetation, including trees. Infestations have killed off entire wine vines in a single growing season.

When plants and trees die, so do several animal habitats and food sources, such as those for beneficial pollinators at the start of the food chain. Most of the planet’s oxygen also comes from trees and grass — one tree alone can produce enough oxygen for four people, reports the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Therefore, recruiting pups to protect the health of the plants in these forests and vineyards helps many.

A collaboration between working dogs and nature trails is the perfect storm to battle this invasion. The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference boasts over 2,000 volunteers who help keep trails safe. Working Dogs for Conservation gives shelter dogs new life by training them to sniff out biological threats like invasive seedlings.

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The collaboration began in 2019, when experts trained a labrador retriever and a Belgian malinois to find live spotted lanternflies through positive reinforcement. Eventually, training evolved into having the dogs identify egg masses, specifically the ones belonging to the lanternflies.

Other important finds by these working dogs have included Chinese bush clover in Iowa and Yellow star thistle in Colorado. The canines even help the biosecurity of an area by distinguishing between disease-infected and uninfected scat from animals of the same species.

The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference has been building and cleaning trails since 1923. You can do your part by keeping areas clean and alerting local authorities if you spot an invasive species.

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