USA's Moth Love Terror
By Mark Steer
The recent appearance of a foreign pest has persuaded Californian officials to take the fight back using chemical weapons. However, not everyone's happy at the thought of being covered in moth love juice.Australian little brown apple moths (LBAM) can cause massive economic losses for fruit sellers by making their apples and pears look a bit funny - funny enough for people not to buy them.
The recent accidental introduction of LBAM into North America has caused a bit of panic amongst the orchard fraternity and prompted the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fight back using the moths' mating signal.
A common strategy for female moths to attract a mate is to give off an attractive chemical or pheromone. All they then have to do is sit and wait for an amorous male to pick up the scent and follow it upwind.
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| A nose for love - male LBAMs sniff out their love interests. |
Spraying began on the scenic Monterey Peninsula this week and is also scheduled for Santa Cruz County, immediately to the north on the California coast. Officials insist that there is absolutely no threat to anyone's health since the pheromone is not a toxin.
However, not everyone is particularly taken with the idea. Residents have been covering their gardens with tarpaulins and keeping pets inside. After all, would you want your dog to be swamped by love-hungry insects?
If you haven't turned your nose up yet, you might like these stories:
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- Oh stop it - The scratch and sniff diet
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