Insects, Volume 17, Issue 2

The health, behavior, and physiology of honeybees and other pollinators are critical areas of research with profound implications for biodiversity, agriculture, and ecosystem stability [...]

The salivary gland is a key organ in insects that plays essential roles in food digestion, nutrient absorption, and energy metabolism, thereby highlighting the importance of studying salivary gland function for gaining a better understanding of nutri...

Hemipteran plant sap feeders acquire food by inserting their piercing–sucking mouthparts into the apoplast (xylem sap feeders) or symplast (phloem sap feeders). When feeding, these insects seal their stylets inside the plant with a salivary she...

The variegated cutworm Peridroma saucia Hübner, a recently emerged polyphagous pest in China’s Huang-Huai River Basin, uses sex pheromones (Z)-11-hexadecenyl acetate (Z11-16: Ac) and (Z)-9-tetradecenyl acetate (Z9-14: Ac) for mate finding....

Synchronous emergence is a widespread adaptive strategy in cicadas, yet the proximate cues governing its timing in urban environments remain poorly understood. We examined the emergence phenology of three common urban cicada species (Cryptotympana at...

The chemical 2-phenoxyethanol (2-PE) has been found to elicit trail following responses in subterranean termites and could have potential use as an enhancement to termite treatments. In this paper, similar glycol ethers to 2-phenoxyethanol were found...

Global population growth necessitates sustainable food systems, positioning Circular Bioeconomy as a key transition framework. In Oaxaca, Mexico, semi-intensive tilapia aquaculture faces economic viability issues due to a critical reliance on expensi...

The silkworm, Bombyx mori, is a model organism with significant agricultural and economic importance, but it is threatened by Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV). A crucial chaperone, heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), can also facilitate the prolif...

Phytoplasmas are obligate bacterial pathogens transmitted by phloem-feeding insects and responsible for severe diseases in numerous crops worldwide. In Iran, insect-associated phytoplasma transmission pathways remain poorly resolved, particularly at...

The Brown Planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål.) (Hemiptera: Delphinidae), is one of the most destructive pests of rice. Its reproductive and developmental traits are influenced by various environmental and biological factors including endosym...

To maximize protein production from insects, it is essential to understand their nutritional requirements, production characteristics, and the chemical properties of the resulting feed, along with how these factors depend on the insects’ diets....

This study investigates the mitochondrial transcriptomic responses of Ramulus phyllodeus (Chen & He, 2008); Phasmatodea: Phasmatidae) to acute exposure to four widely used neurotoxic insecticides: chlorpyrifos, cyfluthrin, emamectin benzoate, and...

The genus Phanerotoma Wesmael, 1838 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Cheloninae, Phane- rotomini) is distributed across all six major zoogeographical regions, with the highest species diversity recorded in the Palaearctic Region. DNA barcoding provides a ro...

Clarifying migration pathways and the source area–destination relationships of the domestic and foreign beet webworm Loxostege sticticalis (Linnaeus) populations, as well as understanding the meteorological mechanisms shaping these processes, i...

Insecticide resistance in Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762), the primary vector of several arboviruses, threatens vector control efficacy and motivates evaluation of current and candidate public health insecticides, such as imidacloprid and broflanilide...

Understanding a species’ life history is essential for assessing its adaptability and resource trade-offs under environmental stress. Given their diversity and ecological significance, Lepidoptera represent an ideal model system for studying su...

Milkweed (Asclepias spp.) is the sole host plant for monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) larvae, yet its quality varies within and among individual plants. This study examined how leaf position, used as a proxy for leaf age, on Asclepias syriaca inf...

Banana (Musa spp.) is an economically important crop whose relevance is steadily increasing in greenhouse-based production systems. This study aimed to determine pest and natural enemy species, and pest population densities in greenhouse banana field...

Bacillus thuringiensis is the most extensively studied entomopathogenic bacterium worldwide; however, its sublethal effects on beetles remain poorly characterized. The aim of this study was to evaluate the toxicity of a previously selected Argentine...

Elateridae (Coleoptera: Elateroidea) are renowned for their clicking mechanism. However, several lineages exhibit body softening that compromises this mechanism, particularly within Plastocerini, Drilini, and Omalisinae. It remains unclear how this b...

Mowing is a widely used agricultural management practice, yet its role in shaping plant–insect interactions remains largely unexplored. In this study, we investigated how mowing influences resistance of licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis) to the w...

Endophytic colonization by entomopathogenic fungi represents a promising sustainable pest management strategy. This study investigated the physiological and molecular effects of maize endophytically colonized by Beauveria bassiana (strain BbOFDH1-5)...

Silk production is a classic example of a domestication trait, yet the cell-type-specific driver of its enhancement in the silkworm Bombyx mori remains unresolved. To address this, we integrated extensive bulk RNA-seq data with a single-nucleus RNA-s...

Body size is a key trait influencing life history and ecological adaptation, and sexual size dimorphism (SSD) reflects divergent selective pressures acting on males and females. In morphologically conserved insect groups such as Cassidinae leaf beetl...

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was associated with 4.95 million deaths in 2019 and may cause 10 million deaths annually by 2050. We synthesize evidence on how the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) has evolved an expanded antimicrobial peptide (AM...

Centorus rufipes (Gebler, 1833) is the only tenebrionid beetle commonly found in late Pleistocene deposits of southern western Siberia. It is assumed that the reasons for its success during the Last Glacial Maximum could have been its cold resistance...

Recently, individuals of the oriental fruit fly and its relatives (Bactrocera dorsalis complex)—previously eradicated in Japan—have occasionally been captured in surveillance traps in the Kyushu District of western Japan, suggesting possi...

Locusta migratoria (Orthoptera: Acrididae) is a major agricultural pest, characterized by its strong reproductive capacity and rapid reproduction rate. Consequently, identifying novel targets to control or reduce the fecundity of locusts is of signif...

The impact of dopamine on aging is complex and context-dependent. This study systematically investigated the effects of dopamine levels on the lifespan and behavior of the silkworm moth by employing genetic mutants of the dopamine synthesis/metabolic...

Chemosensory proteins (CSPs) are found in the olfactory sensory organs (antennae and maxillary palps) and/or gustatory sensory organs (labellum and legs) and have long been accepted to function through the binding of odorants. However, the same CSPs...

The growing global population has intensified the search for sustainable and nutritious food sources. This study evaluated the effects of incorporating giant mealworm (Zophobas morio) flour at levels of 0%, 7.5%, 15%, and 17.5% on the nutritional, ph...

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is an important source of nutrition for humans, providing essential nutrients such as protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Its cultivation is highly attractive to flower-visiting insects, which find abundant nectar...

Pollen acts as both a gametophyte for plant reproduction and a vital nutrient source for bees. Adult honey bees (Apis mellifera) mix pollen with nectar, enzymes, and microbes to create ‘bee bread’, diverting pollen from plant reproduction...

Global warming and international trade are accelerating biological invasions, making the Mediterranean basin a hotspot for alien arthropods. Two invasive species, the drosophilid Zaprionus tuberculatus and the wax scale Ceroplastes ceriferus, were re...

We report new fossil larval specimens that have characters of the group Megaloptera, i.e., are either megalopteran or megalopteran-like larvae from the Triassic, Cretaceous, or Eocene. Fossils from the latter two times are preserved in amber. One of...

Botanic gardens host diverse living plant collections and are increasingly recognized as sentinel sites for documenting insect biodiversity and detecting biological invasions. Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) are well suited to such monitoring due to th...

Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) plantations constitute the largest artificial ecological forest systems in tropical regions of China, while long-term monoculture has significantly reduced biodiversity, particularly among insect communities. Rubber-based...

Two biological control agents, Archanara neurica (Hübner) and Lenisa geminipuncta (Haworth) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), are being released in Canada for the control of invasive common reed, Phragmites australis australis (Cav.) Trin. Ex Steud (her...

Insecticidal proteins derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have been effectively employed in controlling lepidopteran pests, notably in transgenic crops targeting Spodoptera species. However, concerns have arisen regarding the long-term efficacy...

Mating behavior plays a critical role in the reproductive success and population dynamics of insects. Praon volucre is a widespread, broadly oligophagous aphid parasitoid and an important natural enemy in agricultural and natural ecosystems. The pres...

Beekeeping is a widespread economic activity in rural Tanzania, supporting over 2 million livelihoods. The country’s forests and woodlands, covering approximately 55% of its land area, provide habitat for an estimated 9.2 million honeybee colon...

How many founders are required for insects and other organisms to establish new populations is a fundamental question in invasion biology. We investigated the population establishment process of a parasitoid wasp, Monodontomerus sp., which was first...

Chinese honey bees (Apis cerana cerana Fabricius, 1793) are crucial native pollinators in China, with substantial ecological and economic value. Their morphological traits may vary along altitudinal gradients, particularly in hilly regions such as Wa...

Artificial diets are increasingly utilized in sericulture, yet they often yield cocoons with properties that differ from those produced by mulberry leaf-fed silkworms. A reliable method to distinguish between these two types of cocoons remains lackin...

Natural enemies play an important role in the integrated pest management (IPM) of rice crops. Chemical control is commonly used for pest management in rice; however, the compatibility between biological and chemical control within this system has not...

Volatile organic substances (VOCs) emitted by plants play an important role in the recognition and selection of host plants by insects. For polyphagous insects with a broad host range, like the brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys, not much i...

(1) Background: Bees of the genus Apis play a fundamental role in ecosystems thanks to their pollination activities and their long evolutionary history. This has resulted in species diversifying and spreading across Asia, Africa, and Europe. This rev...

Phytoseiid mites, as effective natural enemies, often experience various environmental stresses, especially extreme HTs under global warming and climate change. However, Neoseiulus californicus from the phytoseiid mite family could endure relatively...

Insect insulin signaling plays a central role in regulating development, metamorphosis, and reproduction, yet its mechanistic functions in the tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta, a globally significant pest, remain poorly understood. This study aimed to...

Locust outbreaks cause a significant threat to global food security and ecosystem stability, with particularly severe consequences in grassland regions, where grasshoppers also exert considerable ecological pressure. In comparison to grasshoppers, lo...