©Clark DeHart for Virginia Tech

Imagine if your dog’s favorite game — sniffing out treats or toys — could help protect America’s vineyards, orchards, and forests from a devastating invader.  It turns out, it just might. A new study led by Virginia Tech found that volunteer dog-handler teams — made up of everyday people and their pets — can effectively detect the elusive egg masses of the spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect that’s damaging farms and forests across the eastern and central United States. It’s the first study to show that citizen dog-handler teams can achieve detection success rates comparable to professional conservation detection dogs. “These teams demonstrated that citizen scientists and their dogs can play a meaningful role in protecting agriculture and the environment from invasive species,” said Sally Dickinson, the study’s lead author. “With proper training, dog owners can turn their pets into powerful partners for conservation.”