In the late 1960s, Carroll Williams and Karel Salma discovered that the insect Pyrrhocoris apterus, when grown in jars with paper towels made from balsam fir, underwent several extra larval molts and finally died without completing metamorphosis. Further investigation led to the conclusion that the fir trees synthesize a hormonal analog that acts as an insecticide. Which hormone is this natural insecticide mimicking?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The insecticide mimics juvenile hormone, which is responsible for maintaining the larval stage of insects and preventing metamorphosis into the adult stage. Just like the natural insecticide synthesized by the balsam fir, synthetic juvenile hormone analogs are also used as insecticides.

In the Late 1960s, Carroll Williams and Karel Salma Discovered