Dogs sniff out devastating spotted lanternflies for early detection

by Krishna Ramanujan, Cornell University
January 2, 2025

Growers and conservationists have a new weapon to detect invasive spotted lanternflies early and limit their spread: dogs trained to sniff out egg masses that overwinter in vineyards and forests. 

A study, published Dec. 26 in the journal Ecosphere, found that trained dogs – a Labrador retriever and a Belgian Malinois – were better than humans at detecting egg masses in forested areas near vineyards, while people spotted them better than the dogs in vineyards.

To improve early detection and rapid response – the most effective strategy for controlling the pest after it invades an area – growers, conservationists and land managers might supplement human surveys with trained detection dogs.

The spotted lanternfly, which was first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014, has since spread to 18 other states, including New York, where the invasive, destructive insect feeds on and kills a wide range of woody host plants, including grapes, apples, hops, and maple and walnut trees.

“A spotted lanternfly infestation in a vineyard can cause 80% to 100% mortality of the vines in one growing season,” said Angela Fuller, the paper’s corresponding author and professor in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and leader of the New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit.

Keep reading: https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2025/01/dogs-sniff-out-devastating-spotted-lanternflies-early-detection

Read the Ecosphere paper: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecs2.70113