Fighting "Biological Pollution" With a No-Love Potion

When the light brown apple moth was first discovered in California this spring, the little moth with the innocuous name caused a big stir because it has a big appetite for important crops.

The invasive species is the latest wave of "biological pollution" to hit the U.S. Whether it's a weed that runs rampant, a virus that spreads far and wide or an insect that attacks farms these foreign species transplanted from continent to continent are a major – and expensive – headache. Besides agricultural damage, invasive species rank near the top of scientists' list of threats to the world's biodiversity.

But a plan by agricultural officials to spray a pesticide that makes male moths' hormones run amorously amok has met with opposition. People fear the cure may be as bad as – or worse than – the disease. Hormone-mimicking chemicals have been getting a lot of press lately, as the ingredients in certain plastics and personal care products have come under scrutiny for so-called "endocrine disruption."

Whether or not this chemical has any effect on living things other than the moth is the big question. The serious trade-offs that result now from the introduction of this foreign pest are another reason that invasive species are best checked at the door – before they have the chance to integrate themselves into the domestic environment.

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