Four-legged investigators sniff out spotted lanternfly eggs to slow the spread of invasive pest
CLEVELAND (AP) — The spotted lanternfly, a leaf-hopping invasive pest first detected in the U.S. a decade ago, has steadily spread across the East Coast and into the Midwest with little getting in its way.
But now researchers are deploying a new weapon to slow it's advance — specially trained dogs with the ability to sniff out the winged insect's eggs before they hatch.
Since late last year, four of the dogs have been scouring parks in the Cleveland area in search of egg masses hidden around trees, shrubs, park benches, landscape rocks and bridge pillars. Each egg mass can produce 30 to 50 spotted lanternflies.
So far, the dogs have uncovered more than 4,000 of the masses, meaning they've helped eradicate as many as 200,000 of the sap-sucking bugs that damage grapes, fruit trees, hops and hardwoods, said Connie Hausman, senior conservation science manager at Cleveland Metroparks.
In just a few hours in April, the dogs found about 1,100 egg masses at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Hausman said.
Not just any dog can go out searching, she said.
'They all have wonderful noses, but they're not all eligible,' she said. 'They had to pass tests to prove their service.'
The dogs were trained through a research project led by a group at Virginia Tech University, which is setting out to slow the spread of the insects that are native to eastern Asia and recognizable for their distinctive black spots and bright red wing markings.
The four working in Cleveland owned by local residents already had scent training before they worked with Virginia Tech to hone their noses to detect the spotted lanternflies.
Once they spot a new mass of eggs, the dogs get a treat from their handlers who scrape away the mud-like masses.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
7 hours ago
- Washington Post
What it takes to clean industrial soot and grime from a Pittsburgh church's murals
MILLVALE, Pa. — How do you conserve 80-year-old murals that have accumulated decades' worth of soot, salt and other deterioration? Slowly and carefully, using everything from scientific analysis to seaweed extract to everyday tools — like cosmetic sponges and shish kebab sticks. That was the approach taken by a conservation team as they labored on a section of murals at St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church near Pittsburgh.
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
With fewer than 1,000 remaining, orchid found in Florida eyed for endangered status
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will seek endangered species status for the ghost orchid, a swamp-dwelling, flowering plant found in Florida's Hendry and Collier counties and in Cuba, the agency said Wednesday. "It is one of the most famous flowers in Florida, but its population has declined to fewer than 1,000 plants in the United States," the Fish and Wildlife Service said in a news release. "Less than half of those are mature enough to reproduce. Poaching is the main threat to the orchid, but wetland loss and degradation have also put the orchid at risk throughout its range." The agency will publish the proposal Thursday in the Federal Register, opening a 60-day comment period.
New York Times
a day ago
- New York Times
Leopards on the Potomac! Trump Is Delighted by Deal With Saudis for Rare Cats.
Of all the splashy announcements that marked President Trump's trip to the Middle East last month, there was one that delighted him in a way that was different from the rest. It had nothing to do with money or military might. It had to do with cats. Big, rare, glamorous, killer cats. Perhaps you missed it; there was a lot going on. When the White House put out its 'fact sheet' highlighting the various investments it claimed to have secured in Saudi Arabia, there was one line, buried way down low, that stood out: the 'creation of a dedicated exhibit in Washington' for 'the endangered Arabian leopard.' The Smithsonian had spent months trying to get its paws on a pair of Arabian leopards, and now the Saudis are agreeing to send two of them to live at the National Zoo as part of a conservation program. A proper habitat will need to be constructed, and the exact pair of leopards has yet to be chosen, but if all goes according to plan, the cats will make it to the capital city while Mr. Trump is still in office. Brandie Smith, the director of the Smithsonian's National Zoo, spoke briefly with Mr. Trump about all this and said that he was 'very interested in the leopards as a species.' Most of all, she said, he wanted to learn about the leopards' 'personality.' Ms. Smith traveled to Saudi Arabia last month for the announcement. She was there at the royal palace in Riyadh when Mr. Trump arrived on the first day of his trip. Foreign dignitaries, business titans and muckety-mucks of various other stripes had lined up to shake hands with Mr. Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of the kingdom. When the two leaders reached the end of this very long line, they met the zookeeper. She explained to them why she was there. 'As soon as I said leopards, I saw both of them, their attention popped,' she recalled in a recent interview from her office back at the National Zoo. She said that Mr. Trump had many questions about the leopards: 'Like: 'How big are they? What do they eat? How dangerous are they?' That kind of stuff.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
