Blacksburg, Virgina – Researchers at Virginia Tech say that the best friend of man can also be one of the best defense of nature against an aggressive insect. For the first time, a study suggests that pet dogs can help prevent rapid spread of spotted lanternfly.
Spoted lanternflies feed on separate plants and emit a sugary substance called honeydue, which promotes mold growth. They are considered so disastrous that some states have launched campaigns, urging the residents to stomp in sight. Experts say that the real solution is to wipe the mass of their eggs, but they can be difficult to find because they can often meet dry mud and mix with their surroundings.
This is the place where dogs can come to help with their strong feelings.
The study participant Katie Thomas said, “Dogs have a major meaning. It is their nose. We use their eyes. Dogs use their nose like their eyes.”
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Katie Thomas rewarded her dog, Finch after finding a target fragrance (Callie Shuler)
Thomas and his nine -year -old Pitbul Mix, Finch participated in the study, putting the entertaining fragrance of their years for good use. They passed through indoor and outdoor tests, smelling egg mass, and received an award when Finch was correct on money.
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Thomas said, “To be able to do those things that we already do, that we are having a lot of fun … train our dogs to smell, it is like a real problem that is able to apply that that affects our community, actually being completed,” Thomas said.
Spotted lanternfly is a native of Asia and was found first ten years ago in Pennsylvania in the United States. Since then, it has spread to 19 states, according to the USDA.
Spoted lanternfly is mostly affecting agriculture in midwests and northeast (Fox News)
“They are everywhere, and we need to search for eggs. The problem is that once we have lanternfly, it is too late,” the study participant, Caroline Shelburn said.
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Caroline Shellburn and her dogs, hermes, discover a goal fragrance (Callie Shuler)
Caroline and her 9 -year -old Seema Koli, Hermis, were one of the first five K9 and handler teams to pass their field tests. Finally, 182 volunteer teams in the US participated in the study.
For indoor tests, dogs identified lanternfly fragrance for more than 80%. For more real -world external trials, dogs identified the smell of more than 60% of the time. It is still better than most human discoveries.
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“Hopefully, more people will see that you can train any dog to do so, and it gives you some fun to do with your dog,” shellburn said.
Researchers are expecting that this is just the beginning for dogs to protect the local environment. Even in areas where the spotted lethargy is not a problem, dogs can be trained to smell other aggressive species.
