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Feinder -> Defending Oz : "Darwin Defence Plan P" (8/21/2003 9:47:16 PM)
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SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) -- Male moths may be convinced love is in the air when an Australian town saturates the sky with female pheromones, but scientists struggling to cut their numbers hope they will be too overwhelmed to find females to mate with.
Residents of the tiny farming town of Cobram in the state of Victoria are being asked by the Department of Primary Industries to put moth pheromone emitters in their backyards in a bid to reduce the damage inflicted by the Oriental fruit moths on the area's peach and nectarine harvests.
"If we release synthetic pheromones over a wide area, we can delight but frustrate the males," said horticulturalist David Williams on Saturday.
"If the male moths can't find the female moths, they can't breed and produce eggs," Williams told Australian Associated Press.
The clouds of synthetic pheromones used to mimic the scent trail male moths use to find females overwhelm sensors on their antennae, say scientists, who hope the use of the pheromones would help cut the use of pesticides on crops in the area.
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Yes, it has very little to do with UV. But it seemed more amusing than quibbling over whether Ki43s should be more effective against B-17s or if the IJN should invade San Cristobal.
Cheers,
-F-
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