February 21, 2007 3:58 AM PST
Michael Banfield, managing partner at SpringStar, shows off a jug of insect pheromones. SpringStar sells biopesticides. Hormones from gypsy moths are sprayed into the air. The males go crazy, thinking that females are everywhere because of all the hormones. They fail to find a real one and die before they can breed. It beats spraying chemical pesticides, he said.
The company's next step will be to combine these chemicals with tiny vibrating sensors that will emit fake mating calls. Some types of pests don't get duped by the chemical sprays alone, he explained.
Some of the work is taking place at the University of Washington.
Photo by Michael Kanellos/CNET News.com
AT&T Tech Support 360
