Sex "switch" points way to smarter pest control

Modern insecticides are good at killing bugs, but because insects breed so prolifically, those that die are quickly replaced.

By contrast, females dosed with a sex peptide receptor blocker would remain alive and continue to compete in the breeding pool, producing a bigger impact on the wider population.

Developing the concept will require a lot more research but Dickson said it was possible such a blocker might be introduced into breeding ponds where larvae grow or else planted in pheromone traps designed to attract insects.

(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by Caroline Drees)