In the fight against an invasive plant colonizing portions of the state, a Montana State University doctoral student is luring shrub-munching beetles with an odor as tantalizing to them as the smell of bacon and pancakes, or perhaps a barbecue, is to humans.
In the fight against an invasive plant colonizing portions of the state, a Montana State University doctoral student is luring shrub-munching beetles with an odor as tantalizing to them as the smell of bacon and pancakes, or perhaps a barbecue, is to humans.
“It communicates that it’s a safe area, that there’s lots of food,” researcher Alex Gaffke said of the scent, which is a synthetic version of a pheromone that northern tamarisk beetles release to alert others to feeding areas.
“The beetles are very eager, very gregarious,” Gaffke said. “They all want to be where the party is.”
According to Gaffke, scientists have known about the beetle pheromone for a decade or more. But for the first time, his research team has demonstrated the potential for using the odor as a tool for combating the spread of tamarisk — the non-native shrub that the beetles feed on.
Read more at Montana State University
Image: Alexander Gaffke, left, a doctorate student at Montana State University, and David Weaver, professor of land resources and environmental sciences in the College of Agriculture, inspect tamarisk plants on Friday, March 23, 2018, at the MSU Plant Growth Center in Bozeman. (Credit: Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez/Montana State University)
