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Luring Hornets: Scientists Unlock Sex Pheromone of Notorious Honey Bee Predator

Traps baited with synthetic pheromone could become solution to invasive Asian hornet

Over the past decade, Asian hornets, predatory insects with a widespread and expanding population, have invaded parts of Europe and Korea. Vespa velutina has a growing reputation as a species that proliferates rapidly, preys on honey bees and poses risks to humans.

Now a biologist at the University of California San Diego and his colleagues in Asia have developed a solution for controlling Asian hornets derived from the insect's natural chemical mating instincts.