Introduction to pheromones

A pheromone is a chemical signal emitted by a virgin female in order to attract a male for reproduction purposes. Thanks to INRA’s work, it has become possible to decode and reproduce this signal, which now enables us to offer you selective capture of male insects.

Pheromones are a way of providing an environmental warning; they form part of a sustainable, clean agriculture policy. These molecules, which are disseminated locally in very low concentrations, do not pose any risks either for our health or for the environment.

Bioprox pheromones are intended for trapping insects as part of an integrated control program<./strong>

The sexual trapping of insects is not a direct control method but it does provide information enabling control measures to be adapted to local conditions.
In particular, it enables:

• A precise inventory to be drawn up of the species to be combated and of distribution at crop level.
• Indications to be provided enabling agricultural warnings to be improved.
  – the initial captures enable the appearance date to be accurately established,
  – regular capture readings provide an idea of the intensification of the population over time,
  – and treatment dates can be established.