Skip to main content
Hero Image
Male spotted wing drosophila fly on a strawberry.

Male spotted wing drosophila fly on a strawberry.

Food Additive Takes on Double Duty as a Pesticide

Aijun Zhang examining infested blueberries under a microscope.
ARS Chemist Aijun Zhang examines blueberries infested with spotted wing drosophila fly under a microscope. (Photo by Peggy Greb, D4768-1)

How can something be equally effective as both a healthy food additive and a deadly pesticide? ARS scientists are working to understand that. Methyl benzoate is a naturally occurring compound produced by plants that is approved for human use; its fruity and floral aroma makes it a staple in perfumes, cosmetics, and as a food additive. Nature employs it to attract pollinators.

On the other hand, ARS scientists found that methyl benzoate also can repel, and even kill, other insects and pests, including the spotted wing drosophila (SWD) fly. SWD attacks blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and cherries, causing about $718 million annually in crop damage to farmers. Synthetic insecticides have traditionally been used to fight SWD, but they are both expensive and hazardous to human health and the environment. Methyl benzoate, however, is a natural, environmentally friendly, bio-based compound – and shares the same “chemical skeleton” as DEET, the gold standard in arthropod repellent. ARS researchers are examining that structure-activity relationship so that, along with new, green pesticides, they will be more efficient at controlling SWD and other arthropod pests.

 

Related Information

Article: Organic Multitasking: From Human Food Additive to Pesticide

External Video

Food Additive Takes on Double Duty as a Pesticide

Food Additive Takes on Double Duty as a Pesticide

Explore Other Discoveries

Scanning electron micrograph of coffee berry borer.
For the Love of Coffee

ARS scientists studied Puerto Rican fungal strains as possible biological control agents for managing the coffee berry borer in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Read More
A scientist examines blueberries under a microscope.
Food Additive Takes on Duty as a Pesticide

ARS scientists found that methyl benzoate can repel, and even kill, other insects and pests, including the spotted wing drosophila fly.

Read More
Grasshoppers eating crested wheatgrass.
Hopping Against Climate Change

Often viewed as pests, grasshoppers may have a larger environmental role to play.

Read More
In a test field, a technician uses a refractometer to check the concentration of soluble solids in juice samples from sugarcane plants
New Sugarcane Sweetens the Deal

A new variety of sugarcane has high fiber content, excellent regrowth ability, high stalk population, cold tolerance, disease resistance, and excellent biomass yield.

Read More
Redbay ambrosia beetle
Saving A Favorite Superfood

ARS scientists are combatting pests and diseases affecting avocado production in the U.S.

Read More
Honey bee on a DNA fragment analysis map.
The Buzz Around Bee Genomics

Researchers with the ARS Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research Unit have identified a region of the honey bee genome linked to reduced colony defensiveness.

Read More
Geneticist harvests tubers.
The Potato Industry’s New Stud

ARS scientists created a new potato variety with greater yields and better processing qualities, especially for making chips and fries.

Read More
An adult wasp, Spathius galinae drills through ash bark to lay eggs
Wasp Could Fight Emerald Ash Borer

In the search for natural enemies of the emerald ash borer, one promising candidate is a tiny 5-7 millimeter-long parasitic wasp that lays its eggs on EAB larvae.

Read More

Topic

Crop Production & Protection

Tags

Crops