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Insects
Special Issues
Advances in the Bio-Ecology and Control of Plant-Damaging Acari
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Advances in the Bio-Ecology and Control of Plant-Damaging Acari

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Other Arthropods and General Topics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 312

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Enrico De Lillo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences (Di.S.S.P.A.), Entomology and Zoology Section, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
Interests: eriophyoidea; systematics of eriophyoidea; agricultural acarology; integrated pest management in orchards and vineyards
Dr. Haralabos Tsolakis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural and Forest Science, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
Interests: phytoseiidae; systematics of phytoseiidae; agricultural acarology; biological control of mites; botanical acaricides
Dr. Sauro Simoni

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CREA Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification (CREA-DC), Via di Lanciola 12/a, 50125 Firenze, Italy
Interests: acarology; pest control; behavioral ecology; multi-trophic interactions; prey-predator system
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mites include numerous species with various functional and trophic habitus: they live in a wide range of habitats. Many are pests of economic prominence, others critically important predators and biological control agents, functioning as fungivorous and saprophytic detritivores, vectors of diseases, and ecosystem engineers playing vital roles in soil formation and structure. In spite of their impressive diversity, there are several knowledge contexts that still require investigation. This Special Issue aims to provide an update on aspects of their biology, life history, reproduction and ecology to fill gaps in understanding these intriguing organisms especially for pest management, including detection strategies. Hence, we are pleased to welcome submissions of research and review articles to this Special Issue of Insects. Papers that consider bio-ecological aspects, detection methods and control techniques are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Enrico De Lillo
Dr. Haralabos Tsolakis
Dr. Sauro Simoni
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mites
  • biology
  • ecology
  • ethology
  • mite detection
  • integrated mite management
  • biological control of mites

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 2566 KiB  
Article
Effects of Short-Term Heat Stress on the Development, Reproduction, and Demographic Parameters of Phytoseiulus persimilis (Acari: Phytoseiidae)
by Hajar Pakyari and Rostislav Zemek
Insects 2025, 16(6), 596; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16060596 - 5 Jun 2025
Viewed by 144
Abstract
Temperature is a critical factor affecting the development and population dynamics of many organisms. An organism’s ability to withstand extreme temperature events, such as heat waves, will become increasingly important as the severity, duration, and frequency of these events continue to rise worldwide [...] Read more.
Temperature is a critical factor affecting the development and population dynamics of many organisms. An organism’s ability to withstand extreme temperature events, such as heat waves, will become increasingly important as the severity, duration, and frequency of these events continue to rise worldwide due to global warming. Knowledge on the effects of heat stress on both pests and their natural enemies will thus be crucial for keeping biological control and pest control programs effective in future. This research aimed to study the effect of short-term heat stress on the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis, which is one of the important natural enemies utilized as a biocontrol agent against spider mites such as Tetranychus urticae. The experiments assessed the immature developmental time of P. persimilis after a four-hour incubation of eggs at high temperatures, namely 36, 38, 40, and 42 °C, as well as 85 ± 5% RH and a 16:8 h photoperiod (L:D). After adult females emerged, they were exposed to the same conditions again and the population parameters were monitored. The results demonstrated that the immature development time decreased as temperature increased, with the shortest development duration of 5.30 days seen in eggs exposed to 40 °C, while the eggs exposed to 42 °C did not hatch. Female and male adult longevity decreased significantly as the temperature increased. Fecundity, the adult pre-ovipositional period, and the total pre-ovipositional period were lowest following the 40 °C treatment. The population parameters of P. persimilis, including r and λ, reached their highest values in mites treated at 36 °C, and were significantly higher than in the control group. Addressing these challenges through targeted research and adaptive management is essential to sustaining the efficiency of P. persimilis in biocontrol programs, particularly in the context of global climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Bio-Ecology and Control of Plant-Damaging Acari)
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