TRAPPING INSECTS WITH THEIR FAVORITE ODORS

Insects can be problematic all over the country as well as here in Las Vegas. Researchers are now finding ways to lure them to death by introducing favorite aromas. It’s a little like aroma therapy turned upside down.

The principle is not new - just expanded. Insect experts have been using aromatic sex attractants to lure females to sterilized males for years. Mating produces nothing but frustration and an immediate reduction in the insect population. Crops that the insects fed on recover from those attacks and thrive.

In a new development in aroma technology, U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers have isolated four different chemicals from wine and vinegar that attract spotted wing drosophila (SWD) fruit flies. The aroma-producing chemicals have been combined with a pesticide lethal to the flies.

Another pest – codling moth – is very familiar to California growers of apples, pears, and walnuts. It is also a target of the aromatic pursuits of USDA researchers. The pest hides inside the fruit or nut it chooses - feeds and grows - creating an ugly cavity impossible to ignore. Pesticide applications to control codling moth are standard for growers of the susceptible crops, but they can be hit or miss. The aromatic applications attract the pest in numbers so that pesticides can be applied more effectively as the pests gather.

Pear ester is a major aromatic attractant. Researchers have found that combining it with a sex pheromone and ascetic acid can attract up to 10 times the number of moths to their ultimate destiny rather.

Hopefully researchers will continue this research so we don’t lose more crops to insects.

GLOBAL PEST SERVICES in Las Vegas is a licensed pest control company that is qualified to handle all your pest elimination needs Call our office at 702-657-0091 or go to our web site- to speak with us for all your pest control needs.  Get a quote now!

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