Method devised by UC Riverside scientists isolates new
chemicals that could be exploited to control pest species
Most insects are covered with a thin layer of hydrocarbon
molecules as a waterproofing barrier.
Embedded in this layer are compounds that the insects use as chemical
signals for a wide variety of functions such as communicating species and
sex. In insects such as ants that live
in colonies, they also differentiate the different castes (e.g., workers,
queens, and drones).