PubMed · 2026-05-28
Scientists discovered that playing recordings of ant and spider vibrations through plants dramatically disrupts how spittlebugs—a major disease-spreading insect—feed on them, cutting their ability to reach plant vessels by over half. This opens the door to using 'vibrational pest control' to slow the spread of a devastating plant disease.
Ant vibrations reduced the number of spittlebugs that reached and fed from xylem (sap-carrying) vessels by 52%
The spittlebug male hierarchy call caused the highest rate of plant abandonment at 48%, also delaying sustained feeding
All vibrational signals—whether from predators or abiotic sources—reduced spittlebug presence on preferred plant tips, suggesting a broad, non-specific startle response