Dogs sniff for grapevine pests

MAKE contributor and pal Colin Berry did a radio piece last week for The California Report about how a school in Santa Rosa, CA is training dogs to identify vineyard insect pests by scenting their sex pheremones.

A very different kind of environmental damage is found each year in California Wine Country. The damage doesn't come from fire, but from bugs. From root lice to sharpshooters, California’s $45 billion wine industry has had its share of insect pests. Recently, the tiny vine mealy bug has taken hold, threatening up to 40,000 acres of grapes. Now researchers have found a new tool in the fight against the mealy bug: a friendly, four-legged ally with a keen sense of smell. The program reports from Sonoma County. (Photo by Dani Vernon)

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