Silkworm Moth Has the Ultimate Perfume for Mating,


Hopefully the above title really lured you in to read this article. Did you know that silkworm moth female announces that is available for mating by giving off an ultimate perfume or pheromone called bombykol? I bet not. I didn't. My personal interpretation, bomb - it is a strong and attractive scent, and -ykol, the alcohol base of the chemical molecule unit - a chemistry that is the same as man made perfumes. The male silkworm moth can smell the bombykol very well. Lets just say he can smell one molecule of bombykol diluted in the quadrillion of air molecules. This is one of the amazing chemical sensing trades in the animal kingdom.

Note do not try to extract this ultimate perfume for yourself, it only works between silkworm partners.