<p>I have seen <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00442-014-2995-6" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this study</a>! Within, they suggest that vibrations which mimic caterpillar munching can help trigger the production of mustard oil in plants, an insect repellent. However, I'd also be curious to know if this knowledge has been put into place on a food production scale. Either at home gardens or commercially.</p>
<p>Additionally, when I used to work on a farm, we had an air gun go off at random intervals. This was enough to scare all but the most persistent birds away from eating the fruits. So I know using sound as pest control is not foreign to farmers.</p>
<p>Reference</p>
<p>Appel, H.M., Cocroft, R.B. Plants respond to leaf vibrations caused by insect herbivore chewing. Oecologia 175, 1257–1266 (2014). <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-014-2995-6" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-014-2995-6</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-06T14:17:19.183Z
2022-08-06T14:17:19.183Z
etgriffiths
<p>While semio-chemical repellents are widespread to tackle insect pest, acoustic-based methods seem to be less commun. I only found this example where it has been used as a commercial tool by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22293-2_17" rel="noreferrer">disrupting with vibrations the mating behaviour of  leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus Ball</a> in an Italian vineyard.</p>
<p>Do you know other acoustic-based insect/arthorpod repellents used in agriculture (excluding on-going experiments) that has been shown to be successful?</p>

<insect><air><substrate>
Are acoustic-based methods used in insect pest control?
# Are acoustic-based methods used in insect pest control?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-07-19)

While semio-chemical repellents are widespread to tackle insect pest, acoustic-based methods seem to be less commun. I only found this example where it has been used as a commercial tool by [disrupting with vibrations the mating behaviour of leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus Ball](https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22293-2_17) in an Italian vineyard.

Do you know other acoustic-based insect/arthorpod repellents used in agriculture (excluding on-going experiments) that has been shown to be successful?

**Tags:** insect, air, substrate


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-08-06. Score: 2

I have seen [this study](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00442-014-2995-6)! Within, they suggest that vibrations which mimic caterpillar munching can help trigger the production of mustard oil in plants, an insect repellent. However, I'd also be curious to know if this knowledge has been put into place on a food production scale. Either at home gardens or commercially.

Additionally, when I used to work on a farm, we had an air gun go off at random intervals. This was enough to scare all but the most persistent birds away from eating the fruits. So I know using sound as pest control is not foreign to farmers.

Reference

Appel, H.M., Cocroft, R.B. Plants respond to leaf vibrations caused by insect herbivore chewing. Oecologia 175, 1257–1266 (2014). <https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-014-2995-6>


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