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Insects
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Natural Enemies Interactions in Pest Control
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Natural Enemies Interactions in Pest Control

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Pest and Vector Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 10199

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jiří Nermut

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
Interests: insect parasitic nematodes; entomopathogenic nematodes; mollusc parasitic nematodes and biological control of invertebrate pests (insects and molluscs)
Dr. Vladimír Půža

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
Interests: entomopathogenic nematodes; mollucsoparasitic nematodes; ecology; phylogeny; bacterial symbionts; biocontrol

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biological pest control is a rapidly growing field of fundamental science and applied research and, of course, business. As many active ingredients of conventional pesticides are being restricted in more and more countries, biocontrol is moving to the center of attention for an increasing number of professionals in agriculture and horticulture. Many invertebrate pests can be successfully controlled using various biological control methods, such as application of natural enemies, e.g., viruses, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and insects. The efficacy of natural enemies can be synergistically improved through the combination of two or more bioagents, but these interactions can also lead to antagonism and failure of the biocontrol method. We believe that innovative application techniques that evaluate the relationship among various natural enemies and their hosts at an appropriate level can significantly improve the impact of bioagents on invertebrate pests and can assist in the growth of this field.

This Special Issue will focus on the underlaying mechanisms of synergy, additive effect, and antagonism among natural enemies of insect pests and innovative techniques leading to the utilization of synergy/antagonism in biological control. We will target all groups of bioagents, such as nematodes, fungus, bacteria, viruses, and invertebrates.

Dr. Jiří Nermut
Dr. Vladimír Půža
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

  • biological control
  • integrated pest management
  • bioagent
  • interaction
  • synergy
  • antagonism

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1937 KiB  
Article
Potential of Marava arachidis, a Newly Recorded Earwig Species in Egypt as a Biological Control Agent of Rhipicephalus annulatus Tick in Laboratory
by Shawky M. Aboelhadid, Abdel-Azeem S. Abdel-Baki, Sahar M. Gadelhaq, Walid H. Hassan, Lamjed Mansour, Saleh Al-Quraishy, Yoshitaka Kamimura, Chow-Yang Lee and Asmaa A. Kamel
Insects 2022, 13(10), 934; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13100934 - 15 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2636
Abstract
In Egypt, only five species of Dermaptera (earwigs) have been reported. Based on both the morphological and molecular data of the earwig samples collected from a bakery in Beni-Suef, Egypt, we identified the species as Marava arachidis (Spongiphoridae), a cosmopolitan species with no [...] Read more.
In Egypt, only five species of Dermaptera (earwigs) have been reported. Based on both the morphological and molecular data of the earwig samples collected from a bakery in Beni-Suef, Egypt, we identified the species as Marava arachidis (Spongiphoridae), a cosmopolitan species with no prior records in Egypt. The current study was designed to analyze its predation capability on newly emerged eggs and larvae of the Rhipicephalus annulatus tick. A laboratory functional response study was set up by applying a predation test with various predator-prey ratios as treatments. This experiment was applied using the undefined mix of collected earwigs and the laboratory-collected eggs and the larvae of R. annulatus. The laboratory results showed that the mean number of predated tick eggs was 18.64 ± 11.18 in 24 h under the highest predator-prey ratio (1:10) examined, accompanied by 12.04 ± 4.38 broken but unconsumed eggs. Moreover, M. arachidis predated an average of 12.32 ± 9.07 tick larvae per day. In contrast, the mean dead larvae increased to 38.4 ± 2.30 per day with the highest predator density (1:10). The number of eggs and larvae consumed increased with the predator density. A linear relationship was detected between earwig density and the consumption rates of tick eggs (R2 = 0.99; p = 0.0001) and larvae (R2 = 0.96; p = 0.003). In conclusion, M. arachidis was first recorded in Egypt. This earwig has predation capability on R. annulatus tick eggs and larvae. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Enemies Interactions in Pest Control)
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9 pages, 1348 KiB  
Communication
The Influence of Host Aphids on the Performance of Aphelinus asychis
by Zhen-Xiang Li, Meng-Qi Ji, Chi Zhang, Yi-Bing Yang, Zhen-Zhen Chen, Hai-Peng Zhao, Yong-Yu Xu and Zhi-Wei Kang
Insects 2022, 13(9), 795; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13090795 - 31 Aug 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1446
Abstract
The aphid parasitoid Aphelinus asychis Walker is an important biological control agent against many aphid species. In this study, we examined whether the rearing host aphid species (the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum and the grain aphid, Sitobion avenae) affect the performance of [...] Read more.
The aphid parasitoid Aphelinus asychis Walker is an important biological control agent against many aphid species. In this study, we examined whether the rearing host aphid species (the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum and the grain aphid, Sitobion avenae) affect the performance of A. asychis. We found that A. pisum-reared A. asychis showed a significantly larger body size (body length and hind tibia length) and shorter developmental time than S. avenae-reared A. asychis. There was no difference in the sex ratio between them. The longevity of A. pisum-reared A. asychis was also significantly longer than that of S. aveane-reared A. asychis. Furthermore, A. pisum-reared A. asychis presented stronger parasitic capacity and starvation resistance than S. aveane-reared A. asychi. In addition, host aphid alteration experiments showed that A. asychis only takes two generations to adapt to its new host. Taken together, these results revealed that A. pisum is a better alternative host aphid for mass-rearing and releasing of A. asychis. The body size plasticity of A. asychis is also discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Enemies Interactions in Pest Control)
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13 pages, 2352 KiB  
Article
Efficacy of the Applied Natural Enemies on the Survival of Colorado Potato Beetle Adults
by Vladimír Půža, Jiří Nermuť, Jana Konopická and Oxana Skoková Habuštová
Insects 2021, 12(11), 1030; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12111030 - 16 Nov 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2228
Abstract
Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata is among the most destructive pests of potatoes quickly developing resistance to traditional insecticides. In the present study, we tested the effect of various species and strains of entomopathogenic nematodes on CPB adults, and subsequently, the most effective [...] Read more.
Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata is among the most destructive pests of potatoes quickly developing resistance to traditional insecticides. In the present study, we tested the effect of various species and strains of entomopathogenic nematodes on CPB adults, and subsequently, the most effective nematodes were applied alone and in combination with entomopathogenic fungus B. bassiana in pots with potato plants and in the field and their effect on the number of emerging adults was evaluated. In the experimental infections, both the nematode invasion and pathogenicity were variable, and, in several strains, the mortality reached 100%. In pot experiments, soil application of nematodes S. carpocapsae 1343 and S. feltiae Jakub and fungus significantly decreased numbers of emerging CPB adults, while, after the application on leaves, only fungal treatment was effective. The field application of fungus B. bassiana significantly decreased the number of emerging CPB adults in comparison to control sites by ca. 30% while the effect of nematodes and the nematodes–fungus combination was not significant. In conclusion, we demonstrate the necessity of thorough bioassays to select the most effective nematode strains. Entomopathogenic nematodes have the potential to effectively decrease the emergence of CPB adults, but further research is needed to improve the effectiveness in the field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Enemies Interactions in Pest Control)
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11 pages, 7015 KiB  
Article
First Report of Native Parasitoids of Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in Greece
by Stefanos S. Andreadis, Nikoloz E. Gogolashvili, Georgios T. Fifis, Emmanouel I. Navrozidis and Thomas Thomidis
Insects 2021, 12(11), 984; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12110984 - 31 Oct 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3022
Abstract
Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an endemic species of East Asia; it was introduced into Europe in 2007. It has a wide range of hosts as it feeds on over 170 host plant species and significantly impacts crop production. In Greece, H. [...] Read more.
Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an endemic species of East Asia; it was introduced into Europe in 2007. It has a wide range of hosts as it feeds on over 170 host plant species and significantly impacts crop production. In Greece, H. halys causes significant losses in the production of kiwi, peaches, and green beans; thus, control of this species (including biological control) is essential. Here, we focus on the potential impact of native natural enemies of H. halys in Greece. From June to October 2020, we sampled naturally field-laid H. halys egg masses to recover native parasitoids. A total of 20 egg masses of H. halys were collected from infested fields from different locations in northern Greece. Out of 529 eggs, 45 parasitoids managed to hatch successfully. The overall parasitism rate was 8.5%. We found two species of Hymenopteran egg parasitoids attacking H. halys eggs—Anastatus bifasciatus (Geoffrey) (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae) and Ooencyrtus telenomicida (Vassiliev) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), with the former comprising 58% of all parasitoids that were recovered. These results contribute to the knowledge about the natural enemy community that attacks H. halys in Greece, and the use of these native egg parasitoids in biological control programs may be a viable H. halys management strategy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Enemies Interactions in Pest Control)
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