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Scientists Use Sex-Crazed Bugs As Pesticide

Posted by samzenpus on from the doin'-it-hopper-style dept.

ByronScott writes "In today's 'gross news' category, some female insects just might be getting lucky. As an alternative to toxic pesticides, scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have created 'super-sexed' sterilized male leafhoppers to knock bug boots with females in the wild, resulting in decreased populations. Yes, that means that the female bugs will miss out on the joys of motherhood, but the idea that the insects will be having some fun instead of being gassed to death by poisons is pretty cool."

4 of 107 comments (clear)

  1. Nothing New Here. by lobiusmoop · · Score: 5, Informative

    Sterile insect technique. Developed in the 1950's.

    --
    "I bless every day that I continue to live, for every day is pure profit."
  2. Death by Snoo-Snoo by bsDaemon · · Score: 5, Funny

    nuff said.

  3. Old technique, but it works by Captain+Nitpick · · Score: 5, Informative

    The sterile insect technique dates to the 1950s, and has been used with great success in suppressing the screw-worm (eradicated in the US in 1982). An animal infested with screw worm maggots can die simply from the tissue damage as the maggots "screw" into their flesh. It's one of the few species against which there is an intentional attempt at extermination, and I can't disagree with it.

    The technique inspired the Nebula Award-winning science fiction story The Screwfly Solution. In the story, the technique does not so much go wrong as horribly right.

    --
    But then again, I could be wrong.
  4. Imagine this with humans by voss · · Score: 5, Funny

    doc: "Good news Is youre gonna get laid all the time, but you wont be able to have kids"
    Guy:"Doc dont hold back, whats the bad news?"