Biology, Ecology and Management of Sap-Sucking Pests

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 October 2025 | Viewed by 308

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente—Di3A, Sez. Entomologia Applicata, Università Degli Studi di Catania, Santa Sofia 100, 95123 Catania, Italy
Interests: aphids; Hemiptera; sap-feeding insect pests; fruit-damaging pests; molecular analysis; systematics
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In a broad sense, sap-sucking insects are arthropods with mouthparts specifically adapted to piercing plant tissues and extracting fluids. This diverse group includes aphids, leafhoppers, stink bugs, mealybugs, thrips, whiteflies, scales, spider mites, jumping plant lice, planthoppers, and lace bugs.

Many of these insects are significant economic pests, causing substantial crop losses in agriculture, forestry, and ornamental plantings. They can directly damage plants by withdrawing essential nutrients and causing distortions, discolouration, deformations, the curling of leaves and shoots, and the emission of honeydew on which sooty mould develops, which can have severe consequences for plant health. In some cases, they also act as vectors for numerous viruses and bacterial diseases.

While completely eradicating these insects is often impractical and unnecessary, sustainable management strategies can effectively control their populations while safeguarding the environment, plants, and beneficial fauna.

This Special Issue aims to highlight studies dealing with topics concerning sap-sucking insect pests, encompassing their biology, interactions with other organisms, and natural enemies. We also welcome research on the real-world impact of these arthropods on production and yield, as well as management strategies with low environmental impact in both natural and anthropogenic habitats. Given the increasing need for sustainable control strategies and the ongoing challenge of invasive species, the focus of this research is timely and crucial.

Dr. Giuseppe Eros Massimino Cocuzza
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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

  • Hemiptera
  • Homoptera
  • sap-sucking insects
  • IPM
  • agricultural pests
  • urban green pests
  • alien arthropods

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 1350 KB  
Article
First Detection of Encarsia smithi in Italy and Co-Occurrence with Eretmocerus iulii: A Case of Unintentional Introductions and New Associations with the Invasive Species Aleurocanthus spiniferus
by Gianluca Melone, Lucia Andretta, Feliciana Pica, Francesco Pio Donnarumma, Roberta Ascolese, Francesco Nugnes and Stefania Laudonia
Insects 2025, 16(9), 891; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16090891 - 27 Aug 2025
Abstract
The occurrence of the invasive Orange Spiny Whitefly (Aleurocanthus spiniferus) has expanded rapidly in Italy, prompting responses from both native and unintentionally introduced natural enemies. Through field monitoring, morpho-molecular identification, and phenological analysis, a multi-species parasitoid complex acting on this pest [...] Read more.
The occurrence of the invasive Orange Spiny Whitefly (Aleurocanthus spiniferus) has expanded rapidly in Italy, prompting responses from both native and unintentionally introduced natural enemies. Through field monitoring, morpho-molecular identification, and phenological analysis, a multi-species parasitoid complex acting on this pest was revealed. In addition to the predominant activity of Eretmocerus iulii, this study reports the first European detection of Encarsia smithi, genetically confirmed as belonging to haplogroup I, a lineage previously associated with A. spiniferus in Asia. Occasional parasitization by Cales noacki was also observed. Seasonal patterns suggest a possible ecological complementarity between Er. iulii and E. smithi, which may contribute to the suppression of A. spiniferus populations. Although climatic variables showed weak correlations with infestation or parasitism rates, a slight positive relationship was observed between rainfall and whitefly abundance. The increasing biocenotic complexity, reflected by the diversity and interactions among parasitoid species, indicates an emerging ecological balance. These findings underscore the potential role of unintentional biological control in supporting agroecosystem resilience. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology, Ecology and Management of Sap-Sucking Pests)
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