A recent Penn State study has found that caterpillars’ feces, called frass, contain chemicals that trick corn plants into protecting against fungal infections instead of insect attacks, allowing the animals to consume more.

Caterpillars, particularly the fall armyworm variety, have developed a clever mechanism to take advantage of one of their food sources--corn leaves. 


According to new research from Penn State, the animal uses its feces, called frass, to trick the plant into turning off its innate insect repellent.


It turns out, the chemicals in the waste mimic those of fungal pathogens which cause the host corn to fight against that threat instead of insect pre