Insect Abstinence the Next Green Pest Control?
Turning off a sex “switch” triggered when female insects mate may be a smart and green way of controlling pests in future. Scientists said on Sunday they had found a molecular receptor, or switch, common to all insects that sets off post-mating behaviors like egg-laying.
(More on this at Scientific America)
My big concern is that if a commercial product hits the shelves for agriculture, gardens, or homes that it will effect good bugs as well as bad bugs. What about the food chain? If bugs in an area stop reproducing then all their predators (think spiders, birds, bats, etc) are going to be hungry. Combating malaria or keeping ants out of the pantry are one thing, but creating a patchwork of “bug free zones” across a landscape is another.