Beetle uses scent to locate fungus crop host trees.
The alnus ambrosia beetle, a destructive invasive pest, uses the volatile compounds of its own fungal symbionts to aggregate en masse and potentially kill trees. Scientists have identified the chemical signals used by the beetle to find each other and identify suitable trees. The beetles prefer the odor of their symbionts and colonized branches, and this discovery suggests a new method for biological control by developing new trapping lures for the beetles on the basis of these compounds.