Kairomone

A kairomone is a semiochemical released by an organism that mediates interspecific interactions in a way that benefits a different species at the expense of the emitter.

[1] Derived from the Greek καιρός, meaning "opportune moment"[2][3][4], it serves as a form of "eavesdropping", enabling the receiver to gain an advantage, such as locating food or evading predators, even if it poses a risk to the emitter.

Unlike allomones, which benefit the producer at the receiver's cost, or synomones, which are mutually beneficial, kairomones favor only the recipient.

Primarily studied in entomology, kairomones can play key roles in predator-prey dynamics, mate attraction, and even applications in pest control.

Furthermore, A. americanum responds strongly to excreta from fed ticks, suggesting it uses multiple signals to identify promising feeding locations.

[16] These interspecific chemical signals alert potential prey to the presence of a predator, eliciting avoidance and freezing behaviors in species such as mice, deer, and cattle.

[1] For example, studies have shown that kairomones are effective in attracting female African sugarcane borers to deposit eggs on dead leaf material.

[21] Kairomones have been extensively studied, and some are in successful usage, in Florida's Anastrepha suspensa eradication zone in support of the citrus, and various other orchard industries there.