Why Some Bugs Are Attracted to the Wrong Species

The squash bug mating orgies that biologist Christine Miller began noticing in gardens around Gainesville were nothing unusual. Dozens of insects were crowded together, the petite males along with the bulkier females, to search for partners. The unusual thing was that some males were copulating with females of the wrong species—apparently, they found them irresistible. When Jen Hamel arrived at Miller's University of Florida lab to do her postdoctoral research, she took up the mystery of the swinging squash bugs. Although they're related, the two insect species don't seem to have viable offspring together. And mating with the wrong species can be more than just a waste of time. "There is potentially a big waste of energy for a female," Hamel says, if she lays eggs that aren't fertilized because she's been dallying with the wrong males. The insects could also miss out on opportunities to mate with the right ...