Abstract
SEVERAL people have speculated on the thesis that if a sufficiently high concentration of an insect sex pheromone could be maintained in the atmosphere, the sexes could not find each other for mating purposes1–3 (for a review, see Jacobson4). Their conclusion was that this could lead to control or possibly eradication of the species. In the only large scale experiment to test this principle, gyplure, an analogue of the gypsy moth sex pheromone, was distributed over an island infested with gypsy moths5. Mating of males with females was not prevented; the failure of this experiment was attributed to the presence of a “masking” substance in the synthetic pheromone6. We have for the first time obtained experimental confirmation that pre-mating communication between the sexes can be disrupted by permeating the atmosphere with an insect pheromone. This general phenomenon was demonstrated using Trichoplusia ni (Hübner), the cabbage looper, as the test organism.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Beroza, M., Agric. Chem., 15 (7), 37 (1960).
Babson, A. L., Science, 142, 447 (1963).
Wright, R. H., Nature, 204, 603 (1964).
Jacobson, M., Insect Sex Attractants, 119 (John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 1965).
Burgess, E. D., Science, 141, 526 (1964).
Waters, R. M., and Jacobson, M., J. Econ. Entomol., 58, 370 (1965).
Berger, R. S., Ann. Entomol. Soc. Amer., 59, 767 (1966).
Shorey, H. H., Ann. Entomol. Soc. Amer., 59, 502 (1966).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
GASTON, L., SHOREY, H. & SAARIO, C. Insect Population Control by the Use of Sex Pheromones to inhibit Orientation between the Sexes. Nature 213, 1155 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1038/2131155a0
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2131155a0
This article is cited by
-
Feminization of Male Brown Treesnake Methyl Ketone Expression via Steroid Hormone Manipulation
Journal of Chemical Ecology (2018)
-
Pheromone Research and Development in Israel 1975–2015
Phytoparasitica (2017)
-
Optimizing the Point-Source Emission Rates and Geometries of Pheromone Mating Disruption Mega-Dispensers
Journal of Chemical Ecology (2016)
-
Delivering on the Promise of Pheromones
Journal of Chemical Ecology (2016)
-
Confuser® MM can be used as an attractant to enable monitoring of the peach leafminer moth, Lyonetia clerkella (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae), in peach orchards treated with a mating disrupter
Applied Entomology and Zoology (2014)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.