But once it's here, the beetle is hard to eliminate. The chemical lure, developed by entomologist Jeffrey Aldrich and chemists James E. Oliver and Aijun Zhang of the Agricultural Research Service Insect Chemical Ecology Laboratory in Beltsville, Md.,entices the beetle into a trap. To create the beetle lure, USDA scientists first isolated two chemicals produced by male beetles. They then made artificial copies that attracts both sexes. During promising lab tests, the two synthetic pheromones were the only substances, from either plants or insects, that interested the beetles enough to encourage them to fly toward the source in a wind tunnel.
Field tests are under way in China.
If the attractant is effective and works at appropriate distances, baited traps can be used in the United States to help flush out undetected beetle infestations and monitor high-risk areas, such as import warehouses and ports, to head off arriving beetles. Many ecologists believe the spread of exotic species constitutes one of the most serious, yet least appreciated, threats to biodiversity. Invasive species inflict a heavy toll on American agriculture, reducing the quality and increasing the cost of food, feed, and fiber. Invasive species can be devastating to American agriculture. They drive quality down and costs up.