Scientists use scent to control Japanese beetle populations

Chemical ecologists at UC Davis have been studying an enzyme from the Japanese beetle that could aid us in “controlling the invasive pest that has threatened U.S. agriculture since 1916.” Researchers examined the method by which male beetles find female beetles to mate. When the male instead picks up the odor of a female of a different species, he is rendered unable to detect females of his own species. Scientists hope that this discovery will give humans the ability to control the population of the pest. Full story: University of California, Davis