NEW SOLUTION IN THE WAR ON FRUIT FLIES Later this growing season, with lots of fruit around the kitchen, fruit flies may invade your home. There is news today that may help you battle this pest. According to researchers at Drexel University, Erythritol, the main ingredient in Truvia, is toxic to Drosophila melanogaster. Erythritol is a natural sugar and is present in low doses in several types of fruits. The compound was approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a food additive in 2001. The latest study suggests that the sweetener can be used to fight common pests without polluting the environment. Researchers found that fruit flies preferred Erythritol over table sugar. The team found that high concentration of erythritol; about 2.4 grams in 10 milliliters of water, killed the fruit flies in just two days. One of the study authors said On a small scale, in places where insects will come to a bait, consume it and die, this could be huge. One interesting footnote is this effect was first discovered as part of a middle school science fair project. natureworldnews/articles/7409/20140605/artificial-sweetener-truvia-kills-fruit-flies-study-finds.htm
Posted on: Sat, 07 Jun 2014 03:41:50 +0000
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