Pheromone << FEHR uh mohn >> is a chemical substance released by many kinds of animals to communicate with other members of their species. The animals that secrete pheromones range from one-celled organisms to rhesus monkeys and many other mammals.
Both males and females use pheromones to establish territories, warn of danger, and attract mates. For example, certain ants, mice, and snails release alarm pheromones when injured or threatened. The odor warns other members of the species to leave the area. A pheromone secreted by the queen bee of a hive prevents all the other females in the group from becoming sexually mature. The queen then becomes the only bee in the hive that can mate and lay eggs. Scientists have discovered evidence of pheromones in human beings but do not know whether they affect human behavior.
Since 1959, chemists have developed synthetic pheromones that are used to control insect pests. Unlike many pesticides, pheromones do not harm the environment. Artificial female pheromones of such insects as moths and beetles are used to bait traps that capture males of the same species. In another method of pest control, called communication disruption, farmers spread their crops with fibers soaked in an insect pheromone. The odor of the pheromone prevents the male insects from finding the females for mating.
See also Ant (Communication).
