(ORDO NEWS) — Researchers have found that sexual attraction can be used to lure giant, invasive killer hornets into a trap.
In a new study published in the journal Current Biology, scientists have created a synthetic sex pheromone to attract male Vespa mandarinia to a trap.
Vespa mandarinia is the largest hornet in the world, also known as the “killer hornet”. The wingspan of the “queen” individuals reaches 7 centimeters, although the workers are somewhat smaller. Vespa mandarinia is an invasive species to North America that is commonly found in Asia.
In each of the pheromone traps, the scientists placed a female hornet dummy to attract males. According to the researchers, during the day they managed to catch thousands of hornets.
Killer hornets have caused significant damage to bee populations in the United States. In fact, according to CNN , they cause $100 million worth of damage to bee pollinated crops every year.
Luckily, the ingredients used to create the pheromone trap are readily available in the United States and anyone can replicate them at home.
However, according to University of Nevada biology professor Allen Gibbs, this approach is not a panacea. After all, it does not affect already fertilized females.
By the way, earlier we talked about how the Americans are fighting these hornets.
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