America's most popular pets are working hard to protect vegetation by sniffing out spotted lanternfly eggs.
The spotted lanternfly, which is native to China, Vietnam, and India, according to the Associated Press, has hopped from the United States' East Coast to the Midwest for a decade while devouring fruit trees, grapes, and hardwoods. Without a predator to keep it in check, the insect has reproduced quickly.
Dogs have kept people safe by sniffing out explosives, drugs, and even survivors buried under rubble. Now, as the Associated Press reported, four trained canines are helping Cleveland take action and find the eggs and larvae of this elusive insect. Their highly developed sense of smell tracked down over 4,000 egg masses, thus preventing 200,000 bugs from maturing.
While a frequently cited study from the Sensory Research Institute at Florida State University estimated a dog's nose is 10,000 to 100,000 times as acute as a human's, the pups still had to "apply" for the gig.
"They had to pass tests to prove their service," Connie Hausman, senior conservation science manager at Cleveland Metroparks, told the AP.
The spotted lanternfly's affinity for sucking sap from grapevines decimated Pennsylvania's wine industry in 2014 and may cause over $8.8 million in damage to New York State's vines if not kept under control, according to a study published in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management.
Dogs are just one way to humanely and creatively handle invasive creatures. Elsewhere, scientists have released sterile sea lampreys to reduce the species' population and protect lake trout.
Meanwhile, a study has shown that Indigenous peoples' sustainable land use results in much fewer invasive plants than in other areas.
Controlling pests without chemicals also protects the soil. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, pesticides harmed beneficial soil organisms in at least 70% of 2,800 reviewed cases.
Other pups have sniffed out citrus canker disease in East Coast fruit trees and invasive species in Wisconsin's Mequon Nature Preserve.
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Should we be actively working to kill invasive species? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Absolutely 💯 Canine noses are helping protect biodiversity, an essential defense against climate change, according to the United Nations.
Healthy native plants absorb carbon, which means less goes into the atmosphere to trap more heat. However, as vegetation dies off from drought, floods, wildfires, and other global weather events, habitats and food supply are at risk for all.
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