BLACKSBURG, Va. – Many spotted lanternfly eggs have hatched around the commonwealth, with 2026 set to have another summer filled with the invasive species. However, a new study from Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has found that dogs could help in the fight against the pest.
The study saw pets, trained by their owners, work against human researchers in a hunt for spotted lanternfly egg masses. It was found that the dogs outperformed the humans by more than two to one in densely vegetated areas.
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“What this means is that we can turn to everyday dogs and their owners and train them as a flexible early detection force. In places where the spotted lanternfly hasn’t reached yet, teams could train in advance and be ready to detect it before it becomes a major infestation.”
Erica Feuerbacher, lead researcher of the study and professor in the School of Animal Sciences
This new study followed in the footsteps of a 2025 study that took place in a controlled environment. Now, the test was whether dogs could do it in the real world.
“It’s one thing to show dogs can do this in training exercises. It’s another to put them out in the environment, where there are lots of other odors and distractions, and see that they can still perform.”
Sally Dickinson, co-author
Each search lasted around 10 minutes. On average, dogs found three egg mass locations, while humans averaged around 1.3.
Now, researchers are working to figure out whether this method could be used to sniff out other threats, like plant diseases.
“As we face more environmental issues, more agricultural issues — hitchhiker insects, invasive species, diseases — having a widespread network of trained dogs is exciting. It really opens people’s eyes to what their dogs are capable of. Your dog, regardless of its breed, could do this.”
Erica Feuerbacher, lead researcher of the study and professor in the School of Animal Sciences
One of the dogs that participated in the study, Xephyr, still enjoys her scent training.
“I guess sometimes the nose is more important than the eyes. She’s my best girl.”
Debi Persing, Xephyr's caretaker
You can read the full write-up on the study here.