Researchers use dogs to seek and destroy destructive species: 'You need to detect [them] in order to eradicate them'

In this friendly competition of man vs. dog, score it a draw.

Researchers at Cornell University put the two through the paces to see how effective they were at finding invasive spotted lanternflies as they overwintered. The team used a trained Labrador Retriever and Belgian Malinois for the research. While humans prevailed in vineyards, leashed dogs with a handler had the upper hand (or paw) in forests, per a news release.

Spotted lanternflies have wreaked havoc on all sorts of woody host plants, including apples, grapes, hops, and maple trees since first being spotted in Pennsylvania in 2014. They've spread to 18 other states and famously in New York City. Twenty vineyards in New Jersey and Pennsylvania dealing with known infestations were the study's focus.

"A spotted lanternfly infestation in a vineyard can cause 80% to 100% mortality of the vines in one growing season," said the study's corresponding author Angela Fuller. 

Fuller cited another side effect of increased herbicide usage that surges costs by up to 170% during the growing season. Herbicide drift is also linked to damage to other plants and negative health effects for surrounding communities.

The Cornell team mapped out areas in the vineyards for dogs and humans to survey for the egg nests. They went on separate days so dogs wouldn't be distracted by human scents. In this challenge, humans won the day as they found 31 egg masses per hour to the pups' 24.

"It was pretty easy for humans to see them, because they can do a systematic search, up and down a vine or pole," Fuller said. Dogs' methods were more random, which cost them.

In the adjacent forested areas, though, dogs blew away humans, detecting 3.4 times more egg nests. Canines' superior sense of smell helped them prevail.

"The dogs find egg masses by smell," Fuller relayed. "So, in a very complex environment, it's easier for a dog to smell something than it is for a human to see something that is small and cryptic." 

Should we be actively working to kill invasive species? Absolutely 💯 It depends on the species 🤔 I don't know 🤷 No — leave nature alone 🙅 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Their advantage extended to forested areas further away from vineyards, where they narrowly edged out humans by sniffing out 7.6 eggs to humans' 6.7 per hour. 

Additionally, dogs had more patience in these low-density areas, and their persistence paid off.

"The extra time that dogs take to find them is not as important as it is to find them in the first place, because you need to detect the egg masses in order to eradicate them," Fuller noted.

This isn't the first time dogs have lent a hand to take on invasive species like the spotted lanternfly. They've sniffed out wild parsnips in Wisconsin and zebra and quagga mussels in Washington. There is hope dogs boost the early detection of lanternflies and shorten response time. The release characterized that as "the most effective strategy for controlling the pest after it invades an area." 

It looks like man's best friend might play a role in fighting off one of its newest nemeses.

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