Dogs are being trained to weed out eggs of invasive spotted lanternflies in US

Researchers are deploying sniffing dogs to combat spread of leaf-hopping pests that can damage trees and fruit crops

The spotted lanternfly, a leaf-hopping invasive pest first detected in the US a decade ago, has steadily spread across the East coast and into the midwest with little getting in its way.

But now researchers are deploying a new weapon to slow its advance: specially trained dogs with the ability to sniff out the winged insect's eggs before they hatch.