Dr Dr Viviana Heguaburu

The study of chemical communication in insects that are agricultural pests has allowed the development of alternative management strategies, allowing rationalizing insecticide use and counteracting the advance of contamination in this sector. Pheromones are chemical signals that insects emit to communicate with members of their own species. Due to its attractive properties, insect sex pheromones can be used for the monitoring and control of pests that cause crop damage. Sex pheromone technologies have the advantage of not leaving toxic residues in the environment and food. Likewise, they have a high specificity, affecting only the target species, being harmless to beneficial organisms like bees.