Insect Pathogens as Biocontrol Agents Against Pests
A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Behavior and Pathology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 528
Special Issue Editors
Interests: biological control of crop and forestry pests; IPM methods; insect–plant interactions; endophytes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: entomopathogenic fungi; endophytes; fungal metabolites; biocontrol; biostimulants; host–pathogen interactions; mass production; formulation; ecological fitness risk assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: biological control of crop pests; IPM methods; insect–plant interactions; stored product pests; precision agriculture methods in crop protection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Entomopathogens are microorganisms that are pathogenic to arthropods such as insects, mites, and ticks. Several species differ significantly in their biology and behavior and, hence, in their ability to control enemy populations in all environments. The proper use of entomopathogens requires good knowledge of the biological cycle of enemies. Entomopathogens such as bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and viruses infect a variety of arthropod pests and play an important role in their management. The pathogenicity caused by entomopathogens is not the same in all insects and differs even at each insect stage, usually being larger in young specimens, especially during the larval stage. The point of entry or growth of a pathogen also varies depending on the insect and entomopathogen: entomopathogens (usually viruses and bacteria) enter via the oral route, while fungi can invade their host from the insect cuticle. Some entomopathogens are mass-produced in vitro (bacteria, fungi) or in vivo (viruses) and sold commercially. In this Special Issue, we welcome original research and review articles covering this area of study.
Dr. Spiridon Mantzoukas
Dr. Tariq Butt
Prof. Dr. Panagiotis A. Eliopoulos
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
- entomopathogens
- IPM
- tri-trophic interactions
- biological control crop and forestry pests
- host–pathogen interactions
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