Advances on Invasive Insect Pests: Insect Behavior, Host Plant Usage, Biocontrol, and More

Dear Colleagues,

Human societies are increasingly moving plant and insect species around the globe. This global movement results in new, non-coevolved associations between plants and their insect herbivores. Such novel associations can lead to changes in plant responses to herbivory, as well as changes in insect host plant selection. The latter can result in host range expansion and/or host plant shifts, which are key aspects of successful establishment of exotic insects in the introduced range, and potential insect invasions, which are known to cause substantial economic and environmental problems. The knowledge of invasive insect species behavior, their feeding preferences, and interactions with their host plants are critical for detecting and predicting novel plant–insect associations and ultimately deciphering trophic interactions involving insects in natural and managed communities. This information has important implications for biological control and other pest management options.

This Special Issue welcomes recent research on invasive insects, their novel associations with host plants, and biocontrol, to address their theoretical and practical implications on population ecology and pest management, with an emphasis on understanding biology of invasive species and the mechanisms of species invasion and their interactions with other organisms in the introduced range. Method papers, case reports, original research articles, as well as review papers that broadly cover issues relating to various invasive insect species (leaf-chewing insects, sap-feeders, soil-dwelling insects, etc.) are of interest in this Special Issue. Studies on insect biology, various mechanisms (e.g., chemical ecology, behavioral, molecular mechanisms) underlying the establishment of novel associations, various modes of insect feeding which overcome plant defenses, host plant utilization, biocontrol and other pest management aspects are invited for submission.

Dr. Paul A. Weston
Dr. Alina Avanesyan
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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.