Melissa Singletary

The Asian longhorned beetle, a threat to U.S. trees, will soon have a new foe: Labrador retrievers bred and trained by Auburn University to search for the invasive species. The retrievers are part of the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Canine Performance Sciences (CPS) program, which uses canines to detect plant and animal species in ways that benefit ecological research, management and conservation. As part of a partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), this project will reach its goal to train operational dogs for Asian longhorned beetle detection in 2025 with an anticipated spring start date. Their work will help find the beetle sooner, which in turn helps the agency stop the beetles’ spread. CPS Assistant Director Melissa Singletary said finding the beetles is important because they damage economically and environmentally important hardwood trees.