Latest news with #invasivepest
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Aussie council's innovative idea to combat invasive pest taking down city's trees
An Aussie council believes it has found a way to fight back against an invasive pest that is infecting and destroying trees across the city. In most cases, when the bug is found, there is nothing that can be done other than to chop off affected limbs or cut down the tree. Native to Southeast Asia, the polyphagous shot-hole borer was first found in Fremantle, WA, in 2021 — confusing experts on how it got into the country and sparking fears the destructive beetles could wipe out forests and agricultural crops. The issue has since escalated rapidly, with entire sections of greater Perth put into quarantine in September last year as authorities scrambled to thwart the tiny critter. In November, the City of Canning, which overseas the southeastern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city, urged residents to help in the fight by keeping an eye out for the pest, especially if they had a particular list of trees in their garden. Earlier this year, the council began a state-first trial by pioneering a new technique to thwart the invasive pest. The council has been injecting infected trees with small pills filled with fungicide and insecticide in a bid to kill of the pest and restore tree health. And the early data is very promising. "The City is continuing its trial of chemical treatment of Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB) at Bicentennial Adenia Reserve to gather further data supporting the current findings," the city's mayor Patrick Hall told Yahoo News on Friday. "Following a recent inspection from Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) representatives a reduction in the number of live beetles and active fungus in borer galleries has been confirmed." Entire Aussie city quarantined as bug threat spreads Harvey Norman bed discovered riddled with invasive species from China New predatory bug species uses 'tool' to assassinate prey According to Hall, every local government in WA "is under threat" from the species. While the City of Canning is confident the early signs from the trial could put them on path to some sort of panacea, the results are still being reviewed by the council's academic partners "for validity". "While not a complete solution to PSHB, this trial is part of the City of Canning's commitment to sustainable urban forest management and is a key step in an integrated pest management approach, combining tree health initiatives, pruning, and innovative control methods," Hall said in a statement to Yahoo. The council will release further information as additional trial data is reviewed. Speaking to Nine News Perth this month, John Szymanski from BioHerbicides Australia, which is helping carry out the field work in the trial, explained the simple idea. "I thought hang on, it's an insect, it's a fungus, why can't we put an insecticide and a fungicide in the capsule, and put it in the tree? "It's the difference between keeping a tree alive, and just removing it," he said. The council wants state government endorsement and funding to conduct further trials and hopes the treatment ultimately means fewer trees will have to be cut down and the door opened to potential eradication. If so, it's a technique the council says could be used in other parts of Australia where the pest has caused trouble. Meanwhile residents in WA are urged to keep doing their part and remain vigilant for the bugs. If anyone discovers tiny holes the size of a ball point pen in clusters, they are urged to report the suspected infestation to DPIRD. Affected trees can "quickly become public safety hazards and a constant source of beetles that can disperse to neighbouring trees, causing spread," the department's website says. Originally from southeast Asia, the tiny creatures have now invaded several countries including the United States and Israel. One of the worst impacted countries is South Africa where it's estimated to have caused $28 billion in damage. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
The Guardian
19-05-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Dogs are being trained to weed out eggs of invasive spotted lanternflies in US
The spotted lanternfly, a leaf-hopping invasive pest first detected in the US 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. Harmless to humans, spotted lanternflies can damage trees and fruit crops, and feed on the sap of over 70 different species of host plants. 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. However, 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. A grant from the US Department of Agriculture facilitated the project, unofficially called the Canine Citizen Science Study. Professors at Virginia Tech partnered with researchers at Texas Tech University to call on dog owners to put their pets to work. The four dogs 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. Female spotted lanternflies typically start to lay their eggs in late August through November, or until the first frost. While the adults freeze to death in the winter, their egg masses can survive. Spotted lanternflies can lay their eggs on a variety of surfaces, including tree trunks, telephone poles, rocks and the undercarriage of vehicles. Flint, a border collie, was trained to sniff out the offending bugs by owner and trainer Sally Dickinson, who attends Virginia Tech. Dickinson took Flint out to Virginia Tech's agricultural center to test out his sniffing skills. As Flint showed off his impressive olfactory capabilities, Dickinson encouraged dog owners to train their dogs to help eradicate the pests, no matter the breed. 'There is plenty of research out there that indicates that all dogs can smell,' she said. 'Maybe the 'smooshy'-nosed dogs aren't as good in the really hot weather to work for five hours straight, but they can definitely do it.' Virginia Tech News contributed reporting
Washington Post
19-05-2025
- Science
- Washington Post
Four-legged investigators sniff out spotted lanternfly eggs to slow the spread of invasive pest
CLEVELAND — 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.
The Independent
19-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Four-legged investigators sniff out spotted lanternfly eggs to slow the spread of invasive pest
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.
Associated Press
19-05-2025
- Science
- Associated Press
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.
