Researchers have identified a molecule that attracts an insect which carries citrus greening disease. This development is expected to help farmers control a disease that has destroyed citrus trees in areas of Brazil and the United States. The discovery is the result of six years of research on Diaphorina citri, an insect that is the vector of citrus greening disease. The molecule was identified by the research center Fundo de Defesa da Citricultura, or Fundecitrus. The effort was carried out in partnership with the University of California, Davis and the University of Sao Paulo's Agricultural College. The next step will be to synthesize a chemical substance from the molecule. Then, researchers will create a product that will work as a trap to attract and stop the insect. Scientists hope to reduce the spread of citrus greening disease.