Semiochemicals: A Green Approach to Pest and Disease Control

Abstract

Chemical signaling among insects play a key role in their survival and facing up different environmental conditions, by modifying their physiology or behavior. Insects use semiochemicals (a group of organic compounds) to transmit these chemical messages over long distances that help them in surviving, through locating a host, mate, and food and beating a host defense system or a natural enemy. Semiochemicals, a term derived from the Greek word (semeion) meaning a signal, differs in their molecular weights according to their carbon chain. Semiochemical usage would be effective in pest control through these strategies: recognizing the insidious species, selecting the suitable timing for the insecticide usage, assessing a post-application evaluation, improving of traditional methods used in pest control, increasing the rates of predators and parasitoids, putting into consideration at least one of the techniques developed that are used in pest control like attract and kill, mating disruption, mass trapping, or repellency techniques.