Saturday, August 1, 2026
Science

Dogs uncover invasive pests that experts missed in real-world vineyard tests

At a Maryland vineyard, Debi Persing guided her Boston terrier, Xephyr, slowly down a row of grapevines. Vineyard workers and scientists had already identified several invasive spotted lanternfly egg masses hidden among the vines. They believed they had found them all. Then Xephyr stopped at a vine...

Dogs uncover invasive pests that experts missed in real-world vineyard tests
Image: Phys.org
At a Maryland vineyard, Debi Persing guided her Boston terrier, Xephyr, slowly down a row of grapevines. Vineyard workers and scientists had already identified several invasive spotted lanternfly egg masses hidden among the vines. They believed they had found them all. Then Xephyr stopped at a vine they had marked clear. The little dog sat and pawed at the plant insistently.

Originally published at Phys.org

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