When stick bugs find food or want to mate, they communicate using pheromones. When learned and perfected, farmers could use the chemical language as a weapon against stink bugs instead of pesticides and save millions of dollars.

Virginia Tech researchers discovered the chemical language of bugs and published their findings in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS), on August 20, 2018. Professor Dorothea Tholl, a Fralin Life Science Institute affiliate and a lecturer of biological sciences in the College of Science led the team of researchers.

Researchers can use the new findings to produce pheromones in crops called ‘trap crops’ that can entice the bugs to move away from cash crops. The insects are lured to the trap crops and leave the cash crops alone. Alternatively, the trap crops could attract and kill the bugs.

The invasive brown marmorated stick bug has been attacking sweet corn, grapes, and apples in Virginia since 2004. The harlequin stink bug affects cabbages, and related bug, the southern green stink bug, affects different crops worldwide.

Researchers believe that the new findings will open up new avenues of research and reduce the use of pesticides.

Reference:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS)
PNAS August 23, 2018. 201800008; published ahead of print August 23, 2018
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2018/08/22/1800008115