Entomologist Johnnie van den Berg (Potchefstroom University, South Africa) found that larvae prefer to lay eggs on vetiver leaves planted around the crop instead of on the maize or rice crop itself. Vetiver leaves are hairy, the larvae that hatch on them cannot move around easily, resulting in about 90% of the eggs are dead. Vetiver also harbors many helpful insects that are predators of pests that attack crops.