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There was an article in the Times last week that seems to spell bad news for those of us who rely on natural predators to kill aphids. Apparently there is a species of 'suicide' cabbage aphids who when confronted by a ladybird attack will detonate mustard-oil bombs in their own bodies which kills, disables or deters the attacker. The little defender aphid usually dies too in protecting the colony. Only the wingless aphids of 'Brevicoryne brassicae' store the chemical which is produced from glucosinolates extracted from cabbages & is mixed with an enzyme produced in muscles in the aphid's head & thorax. The report was compiled by a joint British & Norwegian team & is published in a journal called 'Proceedings of the Royal Society'. I'm not sure whether this is something which has only just been discovered but has always existed or if this means that aphids are evolving to protect themselves in new ways but it's certainly strange!
I'll have a go downloading it though my Uni access.
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