Moths can 'hear' stressed plants, make parenting choices based on it
Turns out, moths can actually "hear" when tomato plants are stressed.
Female Egyptian cotton leafworm moths pick up on ultrasonic clicks from thirsty, struggling plants and use those sounds to decide where not to lay their eggs.
This is the first time scientists have seen insect parenting choices influenced by plant noises.
How the experiment played out
In lab tests, female moths consistently avoided laying eggs on plants making these distress clicks—even if they only heard recordings.
Male moth sounds didn't sway them at all.
Basically, these insects are tuned in to plant stress signals when picking a spot for their future caterpillars.
Implications of the study
This discovery could help farmers manage pests without heavy pesticide use—by using natural plant signals instead.
Plus, it's a cool reminder that there's a lot more going on between plants and insects than we usually notice!