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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Damian Carrington Environment editor

Sticky trick: new glue spray kills plant pests without chemicals

A tractor spraying of potato crops with chemical pesticides
Chemical pesticide use has risen by 50% in the past three decades, but researchers believe they have found a green alternative. Photograph: Loop Images/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Tiny sticky droplets sprayed on crops to trap pests could be a green alternative to chemical pesticides, research has shown.

The insect glue, produced from edible oils, was inspired by plants such as sundews that use the strategy to capture their prey. A key advantage of physical pesticides over toxic pesticides is that pests are highly unlikely to evolve resistance, as this would require them to develop much larger and stronger bodies, while bigger beneficial insects, like bees, are not trapped by the drops.

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