{"id":229747,"date":"2026-02-19T15:30:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T01:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=229747"},"modified":"2026-02-19T15:30:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T01:30:09","slug":"pest-sniffing-dogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/19\/pest-sniffing-dogs\/","title":{"rendered":"Pest-sniffing dogs, gardening clinics featured at 糖心视频<\/abbr> event"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Conservation Dogs of Hawaiʻi<\/span> showed how their trained canines sniff out the invasive Little Fire Ant, a threat that must be urgently addressed on Oʻahu.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For Laurie Au and her family, the journey to a thriving garden was only a five-minute drive from their front door.<\/p>\n

“My son really loves gardening, and at a young age has shown an interest,” Au said at the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at Mānoa<\/span> College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience<\/a>\u2019s (CTAHR<\/abbr>) recent Second Saturday at the Garden event. “It\u2019s nice to be able to connect children with green spaces, especially knowing that we live in Hawaiʻi<\/span> and the importance of having a place to grow food.”<\/p>\n

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Workshops covered everything from the technical side of tree grafting to the best flowers for supporting local bee populations.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Au family was one of many who came to trade city life for a morning in the soil at the Urban Garden Center in Pearl City. Before heading home, they were gifted a tomato plant to continue their connection to agriculture in their own backyard.<\/p>\n

The event also addressed environmental threats facing the islands. Conservation Dogs of Hawaiʻi<\/span> provided live demonstrations, showing how their trained canines sniff out the invasive Little Fire Ant. Members of the Oʻahu<\/span> Invasive Species Committee complemented this by teaching residents how to properly screen their own plants to prevent the spread of this destructive pest before it becomes established as the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle.<\/p>\n

Science and youth development<\/h2>\n

Second Saturday at the Garden brought forward the fun side of science and the power of youth development. From crafting wooden dolphin pendants to participating in a “white elephant” fundraiser, the 4-H section was a hub of energy.<\/p>\n

“We have ʻwacky<\/span> inventions\u2019 that encourage kids to think out of the box and get creative with creating a product,” said Christine Hanakawa, assistant extension agent with the Hawaiʻi<\/span> 4-H<\/abbr> program.<\/p>\n

The funds raised will support an overnight educational experience for Hawaiʻi<\/span> 4-H<\/abbr> youth for grades 4–12 and their mentors aboard the Battleship Missouri, further bridging the gap between local history and youth education.<\/p>\n

While keiki explored, adults had access to professional agricultural knowledge. The Oʻahu<\/span> Master Gardeners answered “plant doctor” questions, while specialized sessions covered everything from the technical side of tree grafting to the best flowers for supporting local bee populations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The event also addressed environmental threats facing the islands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":229749,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[212,9],"class_list":["post-229747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-college-of-tropical-agriculture-and-human-resilience","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t