Bombykol

Bombykol is a pheromone released by the female silkworm moth to attract mates. Discovered by Adolf Butenandt in 1959, it was the first pheromone to be characterized chemically. Minute quantities of this pheromone can be used per acre of land to confuse male insects about the location of their female partners, it can thus serve as a lure in traps to effectively remove insects without spraying crops with large amounts of pesticides. Butenandt named the substance after the moth's Latin name Bombyx mori.

In vivo it appears that bombykol is the natural ligand for a pheromone binding protein, BmorPBP, which escorts the pheromone to the pheromone receptor.