How can pheromones be utilized to manage mountain pine beetles?

The use of pheromones in managing mountain pine beetles is centered around their ability to communicate through chemical signals. By attracting these beetles to traps or specific locations, land managers can effectively monitor and even reduce beetle populations in overpopulated areas. This method leverages the natural behavior of beetles, which are drawn to pheromones released by other beetles, particularly during their mating season. When these pheromones are used in traps, they can help concentrate beetles in a controlled area where they can be managed more effectively, preventing them from spreading to new habitats or exacerbating the damage to healthy pine stands.

The other options, while they illustrate different aspects of beetle behavior, do not represent effective management strategies using pheromones. For instance, increasing reproductive rates or altering breeding cycles does not contribute to population management in a desirable way, and repelling beetles does not utilize their natural attraction to pheromones but rather counters their behavior, which is not as effective for control.