Like flies, people can be affected by too much information

Before depriving Europeans of their seasonal fix of Indian mangoes, not to mention aubergines and gourds this summer, the EU and the relevant European governments should have taken note of a study by Newcastle University of the villainous illegal migrant that has prompted this particular agri-produce ban: the whitefly.

The main fear is of infestation, compounded by apprehensions about the repercussions of the chemical cocktail that would be needed to combat the voracious invading bug.

But research has shown that a rather innocuous solution is all that’s needed: a summer vegetable punch of beans, zucchini, cucumbers, cabbages, watermelons and watercress smells.

This heady concoction of aromas sends whiteflies into such a sensation overload that they forget to continue their chomping spree entirely.

The discovery that the “sensory confusion” effect — wherein a surfeit of information causes the stymieing of normal activities — is as applicable to human beings as insects, of course, could have unintended benefits. All it would need are some appropriate scale-up adjustments.

After all, the public reaction to the sheer volume and variety of the material being spewed out by the prolonged Indian election process is evidence enough that humans are as susceptible as whiteflies to information overkill.