{"id":38251,"date":"2026-06-09T13:48:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T13:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=38251"},"modified":"2026-06-09T17:45:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T17:45:08","slug":"pet-dogs-can-help-detect-spotted-lanternfly-egg-masses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/pet-dogs-can-help-detect-spotted-lanternfly-egg-masses\/","title":{"rendered":"Pet Dogs Can Help Detect Spotted Lanternfly Egg Masses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">A new study from Virginia Tech found that ordinary dogs trained by their owners detected spotted lanternfly egg masses more than twice as often as experienced human searchers in densely vegetated areas. Researchers say community dog-handler teams could become a powerful early-detection tool.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-b0ffac9c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vineyard workers and plant scientists thought they had found every spotted lanternfly egg mass hiding among the grapevines. Then Xephyr, a 12-year-old Boston terrier, sat down and pawed insistently at a vine they had already cleared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They had missed one. She had not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;She was adamant,&#8221; Debi Persing, Xephyr&#8217;s owner, said in a news release. &#8220;She&#8217;s a machine at finding odor.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Xephyr&#8217;s nose-to-the-ground work at a Maryland vineyard was part of a first-of-its-kind study led by researchers at Virginia Tech&#8217;s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The research, <a href=\"https:\/\/peerj.com\/articles\/21387\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> June 9 in the journal <em>PeerJ<\/em>, pitted community dog-handler teams \u2014 regular people and their pets \u2014 against trained human specialists searching for spotted lanternfly egg masses under real-world field conditions. The dogs won, and it wasn&#8217;t particularly close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Dogs Outperform Experts in the Field<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The spotted lanternfly has now spread across 19 U.S. states, threatening vineyards, orchards and forests. Catching infestations early is critical, but the insect&#8217;s egg masses are notoriously hard to spot and professional detection dog units are scarce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To explore whether everyday dogs could help fill that gap, lead researcher Erica Feuerbacher, a professor in Virginia Tech&#8217;s School of Animal Sciences, and co-author Sally Dickinson, a postdoctoral researcher in the School of Animal Sciences, teamed up with Virginia Tech grape disease pathologist Mizuho Nita and colleagues from Texas Tech University. The team built on a <a href=\"https:\/\/news.vt.edu\/articles\/2025\/05\/cals-spotted-lanternfly-dog-study.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">2025 study<\/a> that had shown trained pets could locate egg masses in controlled environments. This time, the question was whether those skills would hold up under messier, real-world circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;It&#8217;s one thing to show dogs can do this in training exercises,&#8221; Dickinson said in the news release. &#8220;It&#8217;s another to put them out in the environment, where there are lots of other odors and distractions, and see that they can still perform.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Twenty-six dog-handler teams were first evaluated in distance-testing exercises. Nine of those teams then searched half-acre plots where egg mass locations were completely unknown. Trained human searchers \u2014 including plant disease specialists \u2014 combed each site first. Dog teams followed, each search capped at 10 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In heavily vegetated areas, dogs found an average of three egg-mass locations each, compared to just 1.3 locations per human searcher. That&#8217;s a margin of more than two to one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Close Do the Dogs Need to Be?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The study also mapped out the effective detection range for the dogs. Performance was strongest when egg masses were within roughly 16 feet of the search path, with detections falling to zero beyond 50 feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe distance testing helps us understand how these dogs need to be deployed,\u201d Feuerbacher added. \u201cHandlers need to move methodically through an area, so dogs stay close enough to detect the odor.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another practical finding: dogs trained on non-living egg masses were still able to identify live ones in the field. That means new detection teams can complete their training without accidentally transporting and spreading the invasive pest \u2014 a major biosecurity concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why It Matters for Students and Communities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The implications go well beyond professional pest management. Feuerbacher envisions a decentralized, community-driven network of dog-handler teams that could mobilize in regions where the spotted lanternfly has not yet arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat this means is that we can turn to everyday dogs and their owners and train them as a flexible early detection force,\u201d added Feuerbacher. \u201cIn places where the spotted lanternfly hasn\u2019t reached yet, teams could train in advance and be ready to detect it before it becomes a major infestation.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For college students interested in environmental science, agriculture or animal behavior, the research opens an accessible entry point into conservation work. You don&#8217;t need a specially bred working dog or years of professional training \u2014 just a motivated pet and a handler willing to put in the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;As we face more environmental issues, more agricultural issues \u2014 hitchhiker insects, invasive species, diseases \u2014 having a widespread network of trained dogs is exciting,\u201d Feuerbacher added. \u201cIt really opens people\u2019s eyes to what their dogs are capable of. Your dog, regardless of its breed, could do this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What&#8217;s Next: Sniffing Out Plant Disease<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The team is already looking beyond the spotted lanternfly. Their next target is Pierce&#8217;s disease, a bacterial infection capable of severely damaging and killing grapevines. If community dog-handler teams can reliably detect that threat as well, the potential applications for protecting American agriculture could grow considerably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As for Xephyr, she still trains on scent detection several times a week. Persing said she would eagerly return to the vineyard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;I guess sometimes the nose is more important than the eyes,&#8221; Persing added. &#8220;She&#8217;s my best girl.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:6px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/news.vt.edu\/articles\/2026\/06\/cals-spotted-lanternfly-dogs-vs-humans.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Virginia Tech<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A new study from Virginia Tech found that ordinary dogs trained by their owners detected spotted lanternfly egg masses more than twice as often as experienced human searchers in densely vegetated areas. Researchers say community dog-handler teams could become a powerful early-detection tool.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":38250,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[2789,2787,842,1054,2788,2790,2540,294],"class_list":["post-38251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate-and-environment","tag-agricultural-science","tag-animal-detection","tag-citizen-science","tag-invasive-species","tag-pest-management","tag-texas-tech-university","tag-usda","tag-virginia-tech"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO 4.9.8 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A new study from Virginia Tech found that ordinary dogs trained by their owners detected spotted lanternfly egg masses more than twice as often as experienced human searchers in densely vegetated areas. 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