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Insects
Special Issues
Urban Entomology and One Health
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Urban Entomology and One Health

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 3132

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ameya D Gondhalekar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, 1881 Natural Area Drive, Steinmetz Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Interests: urban pest
Dr. Aaron R. Ashbrook

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Entomology Department, Louisiana State University, 552 Life Sciences Building Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
Interests: urban pest

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Research conducted in the field of urban entomology focuses on understanding the biology of various structural pests and developing, improving, and/or validating new pest management strategies. This research benefits the pest management industry to achieve satisfactory control of structural pests for the protection of public health, property and the environment. Certain aspects of the One Health initiative that emphasize the collective health and wellbeing of humans, animals, and the shared environment closely align with the goals of structural pest management. Therefore, research conducted on structural pests such as ants, bed bugs, cockroaches, termites, filth flies, etc., plays a direct role in achieving and advancing the goals of the One Health initiative.

This Special Issue invites submissions of original research and review articles that either deal with the basic biology of structural pests or applied research that expands the tool kit or options available for safe and effective urban pest management. We also invite submission of articles that explore structural pests in atypical environments (e.g., bed bugs in poultry houses). The overall goal of this Special Issue is to highlight the contributions of urban entomology in promoting and advancing key components of One Health. As such, authors are encouraged to briefly describe the link between their research topic and One Health in the submitted manuscript.

Dr. Ameya D Gondhalekar
Dr. Aaron R. Ashbrook
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.

Keywords

  • integrated pest management
  • physiology
  • toxicology
  • insecticide resistance
  • resistance management
  • pest monitoring
  • structural pests
  • ants
  • bed bugs
  • cockroaches
  • termites
  • filth flies

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 847 KB  
Article
Education and Provision of a Pest Management Tool Kit to Residents in Low-Income Housing: Effect on Cockroach Reduction
by Xiaodan Pan, Souvic Sarker, Jin-Jia Yu, Richard Cooper and Changlu Wang
Insects 2026, 17(5), 483; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects17050483 - 9 May 2026
Viewed by 597
Abstract
High rates of pest infestations are frequently reported in low-income homes in the U.S. However, even with access to effective insecticides, most residents are unaware of how to properly control indoor pests. We designed and evaluated the effect of in-home integrated pest management [...] Read more.
High rates of pest infestations are frequently reported in low-income homes in the U.S. However, even with access to effective insecticides, most residents are unaware of how to properly control indoor pests. We designed and evaluated the effect of in-home integrated pest management (IPM) education and provision of pest management tool kit on German cockroach (Blattella germanica L.) infestations. Twenty-nine apartments were enrolled based on the presence of German cockroaches. They were divided into two groups: an intervention group (12) and a control group (17). The intervention group received a cockroach prevention and control flyer designed by the researchers, gel bait, a bottle of boric acid dust, sticky traps, and in-person brief education on how to prevent and control cockroaches. The control group did not receive education or pest control materials. The intervention resulted in a significantly higher reduction in cockroach numbers and infestation rates compared to the control. At 6 months, the geometric mean cockroach count per apartment decreased by 99% in the intervention group and 51% in the control group. Cockroaches were no longer detected in 58% and 6% of the intervention and control groups, respectively. However, the IPM education did not result in significant improvement in the sanitation rating. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Entomology and One Health)
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16 pages, 1669 KB  
Article
Realized Heritability and Fitness Costs of Diflubenzuron Resistance in Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae)
by Abdulwahab M. Hafez and Naeem Abbas
Insects 2026, 17(5), 480; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects17050480 - 8 May 2026
Viewed by 265
Abstract
The house fly, Musca domestica L., is a medically important cosmopolitan pest distributed worldwide. Diflubenzuron, a chitin synthesis-inhibiting insect growth regulator, is widely used for the control of medically important insect pests. In this study, the biological and population characteristics of diflubenzuron-unselected (Diflu-Unsel) [...] Read more.
The house fly, Musca domestica L., is a medically important cosmopolitan pest distributed worldwide. Diflubenzuron, a chitin synthesis-inhibiting insect growth regulator, is widely used for the control of medically important insect pests. In this study, the biological and population characteristics of diflubenzuron-unselected (Diflu-Unsel) and diflubenzuron-selected (Diflu-Sel) M. domestica were evaluated using the age–stage, two-sex life-table theory to support resistance management efforts. The results showed that the Diflu-Sel (G46) strain developed 319.935-fold resistance to diflubenzuron after 42 generations of selection compared with the Diflu-Unsel (G46) strain. Using the LC50 of diflubenzuron in the Diflu-Unsel (G5) as the parental generation before selection, the realized heritability (h2) of diflubenzuron resistance was estimated as 0.054. Larval and pupal development durations and the total preoviposition period were significantly prolonged, whereas adult duration, total longevity from egg to adult, oviposition period, and fecundity were significantly reduced in the Diflu-Sel (G46) strain compared with the Diflu-Unsel (G46) strain, resulting in a relative fitness value of 0.39. Population parameters, including the intrinsic rate of increase, finite rate of increase, generation time, doubling time, gross reproductive rate, and net reproductive rate, were significantly lower in the Diflu-Sel (G46) strain than in the Diflu-Unsel (G46) strain. These results demonstrate that resistance to diflubenzuron can evolve in M. domestica but may be accompanied by substantial fitness costs, which may facilitate resistance management. The findings provide valuable insights for designing sustainable diflubenzuron resistance management strategies for M. domestica. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Entomology and One Health)
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19 pages, 2427 KB  
Article
Terpenoid Mixtures as Repellents Against the American Cockroach: Their Synergy and Low Toxicity Against Non-Target Species
by Hataichanok Passara, Tanapoom Moungthipmalai, Chamroon Laosinwattana, Sirawut Sittichok, Kouhei Murata and Mayura Soonwera
Insects 2026, 17(1), 65; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects17010065 - 5 Jan 2026
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1441
Abstract
The repellent activities (Periplaneta americana) of lone and binary mixtures of terpenoids—geranial, trans-anethole, and trans-cinnamaldehyde—against adult American cockroaches were evaluated in this study. The respective efficacies of these mixtures were compared with that of 12% (w/w [...] Read more.
The repellent activities (Periplaneta americana) of lone and binary mixtures of terpenoids—geranial, trans-anethole, and trans-cinnamaldehyde—against adult American cockroaches were evaluated in this study. The respective efficacies of these mixtures were compared with that of 12% (w/w) DEET. Safety bioassays for all formulations on non-target species, namely, earthworms (Eudrilus eugeniae) and guppy fish (Poecilia reticulata), were conducted to identify natural compounds with repellent efficacy equal to or surpassing that of DEET while ensuring ecological safety for non-target organisms such as fish and earthworms. All mixtures (RC50 of 0.3 to 1.6 µL/cm3) were more effective than all lone terpenoids (RC50 of 6.2 to 9.1 µL/cm3) and DEET (RC50 of 3.0 µL/cm3), demonstrating strong synergy, with an increased repellent value (IV) of 79 to 96%. The strongest repellency, 98.0% at 72 h and an RC50 of 0.3 µL/cm3, was achieved using geranial + trans-cinnamaldehyde (1:1). This mixture was 5.9 to 10 times more effective as a repellent than DEET. The toxicity of every lone terpenoid and terpenoid mixture to non-target species was low; hence, these mixtures can be considered safe, whereas DEET was highly toxic to non-target species (100% mortality). The terpenoid mixture geranial + trans-cinnamaldehyde showed strong repellency against P. americana. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Entomology and One Health)
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