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Biology and Management of Urban Pests: Ticks, Mosquitos, Kissing Bugs,...
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Biology and Management of Urban Pests: Ticks, Mosquitos, Kissing Bugs, Bed Bugs, Ants, Cockroaches, Moths, Termites, and Food Storage Pests

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 27 January 2027 | Viewed by 1790

Editor

Prof. Dr. Roger Laine

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
2. Department of Chemistry, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
Interests: insect effectors; attractants; repellents; toxicants; termites; fire ants; hematophagous insects

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The spread of human diseases carried and transmitted by insects present urgent problems worldwide. Mosquitos are listed as the most dangerous species, transmitting a variety of diseases including malaria, zika, chikenkunya, and dengue. Ticks are an increasing threat transmitting Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Recently, kissing bugs have spread Chagas disease in expanding areas. Evolution has enabled insects to develop complex adaptive abilities to their hosts, including the capacity spread from animals to humans. These capabilities are reflected in insect genomes. The destruction of food crops—both in the field and in storage—is another major impact of insects, reducing nutrient abundance and availability, and posing particular challenges for countries with limited economic resources. The mechanisms underlying insects’ adaptability to their hosts and their population success are still not fully understood. Biotechnology, including chemical and genetic pest control as well as the use of natural enemies, remains an area of intense investigation.

This Special Issue welcomes recent discoveries regarding pesticides, repellants, genomics, natural enemy utilization, and biotechnology in targeted insect control.

Prof. Dr. Roger Laine
Guest Editor

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-anonymized 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

  • repellant
  • pesticide
  • genetics
  • biotechnology
  • natural products
  • ticks
  • mosquitos
  • ants
  • termites

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1215 KB  
Article
Repellency of Eucalyptol and DEET Against Triatoma infestans, a Chagas Disease Vector: A Proof-of-Concept Study Under a Human Odor Background
by Leandro S. Wagner and Pablo G. Guerenstein
Insects 2026, 17(9), 881; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects17090881 - 24 Aug 2026
Abstract
Triatomines are vectors of Chagas disease. Control of Triatoma infestans, one of its main vectors, relies largely on the use of pyrethroid insecticides. However, due to resistance to them as well as environmental concerns, alternative control strategies are required. Here, we evaluated [...] Read more.
Triatomines are vectors of Chagas disease. Control of Triatoma infestans, one of its main vectors, relies largely on the use of pyrethroid insecticides. However, due to resistance to them as well as environmental concerns, alternative control strategies are required. Here, we evaluated the volatile repellent activity of eucalyptol, carvacrol, carvone, and DEET (N, N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide) under conditions that prevented the contact of the insects with the compounds, and under a human odor background, providing a realistic assessment of repellency for human protection. Importantly, eucalyptol and DEET were tested at low doses. Behavioral assays were conducted in a unidirectional olfactometer, mainly quantifying the following parameters: repellency coefficient (RC, 0 to 1 (1 = maximal repellency)) and biting inhibition. At 10 µL of pure compound, all chemicals induced strong and significant repellency (RC > 0.85). Eucalyptol and DEET remained highly effective at 1 µL (RC > 0.88) and continued to elicit significant repellency at 0.1 µL, whereas both compounds strongly inhibited biting behavior across the tested doses. Overall, our findings are a proof-of-concept suggesting that eucalyptol and DEET are highly effective volatile repellents and bite inhibitors against T. infestans, thus highlighting eucalyptol as a promising complementary alternative to DEET for human protection against Chagas disease. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology and Management of Urban Pests: Ticks, Mosquitos, Kissing Bugs, Bed Bugs, Ants, Cockroaches, Moths, Termites, and Food Storage Pests)
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14 pages, 1638 KB  
Article
Differential Responses of the Ant Odontoponera transversa to Termite Chemical Signals: Evidence for Prey Preference
by Xiao-Lan Wen, Shu-Min Fan, Bao Jia, Yuan-Ru Wu and Zhao-Tian Li
Insects 2026, 17(5), 501; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects17050501 - 14 May 2026
Viewed by 436
Abstract
Predators can exploit chemical signals of social insects to locate prey. Ants are considered as major predators of termites, and the interactions between them have been shaped by a long evolutionary history. Here, we investigated whether the ant Odontoponera transversa exhibits differential responses [...] Read more.
Predators can exploit chemical signals of social insects to locate prey. Ants are considered as major predators of termites, and the interactions between them have been shaped by a long evolutionary history. Here, we investigated whether the ant Odontoponera transversa exhibits differential responses towards three termite species: Coptotermes formosanus, Ancistrotermes dimorphus, and Macrotermes barneyi. Through a combination of field trapping experiments and laboratory behavioral assays, we found that O. transversa showed stronger predatory responses towards A. dimorphus and M. barneyi than towards C. formosanus. Furthermore, when A. dimorphus or M. barneyi was present, attacks on C. formosanus were rarely observed, suggesting a hierarchy in prey preference. Behavioral assays indicated that termite trail pheromones serve as key cues influencing ant foraging decisions. Our findings suggest that differential responses to chemical signals, particularly trail pheromones, may underlie the observed prey preference patterns in O. transversa. Together, these results demonstrate that chemical signals, particularly trail pheromones, are key determinants of prey preference in O. transversa, offering a foundation for understanding the chemical ecology of ant–termite interactions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology and Management of Urban Pests: Ticks, Mosquitos, Kissing Bugs, Bed Bugs, Ants, Cockroaches, Moths, Termites, and Food Storage Pests)
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17 pages, 2749 KB  
Article
Drosicha corpulenta (Hemiptera: Monophlebidae) in an Arid New City: Phenology, Host Suitability, and Spatial Distribution of Overwintering Eggs
by Abdushalam Axpanmu, Wenhui Li, Changyue Liu, Zihan Yang, Xingyu Pu, Qizhi Liu and Shaoshan Wang
Insects 2026, 17(1), 127; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects17010127 - 22 Jan 2026
Viewed by 739
Abstract
Drosicha corpulenta (Hemiptera: Monophlebidae) is a major polyphagous pest affecting street and garden trees in arid regions of northern China, causing increasing damage in newly developed cities like Cocodala, Xinjiang. This study was conducted from 2024 to 2025 to investigate this pest’s life [...] Read more.
Drosicha corpulenta (Hemiptera: Monophlebidae) is a major polyphagous pest affecting street and garden trees in arid regions of northern China, causing increasing damage in newly developed cities like Cocodala, Xinjiang. This study was conducted from 2024 to 2025 to investigate this pest’s life cycle, key damage periods, and spatial distribution in seven host plants, focusing on nymph emergence, female soil entry, and overwintering egg distribution. The results show that D. corpulenta has one generation per year, which overwinters as eggs. Nymphs emerge in early March, and male pupation occurs from mid-April to early May. Females mate after the third molt in early to mid-May and enter the soil to lay eggs from late May to early June, with consistent timing over two years. The suitability of the host varied significantly: Platanus × hispanica was the most preferred, with the highest daily nymph emergence of 840.8 individuals in 2024 and 1196.0 in 2025, followed by Prunus padus and five other plant species (Populus spp., Fraxinus chinensis, Styphnolobium japonicum, Pinus spp., and Malus spectabilis). Female soil entry reached a maximum on 23 May (979.8 individuals−1 day−1) and gradually decreased with increasing distance from the trunk. Overwintering eggs showed no obvious azimuthal bias, but were mainly concentrated near the trunk (0–30 cm) and in shallow soil (0–10 cm; 179.8 eggs per 100 g composite soil sample per sampling point), decreasing sharply in number with distance and depth. Both Taylor’s power law and Iwao’s regression confirmed the aggregated distribution. This study identifies key phenological stages, highly susceptible hosts, and the near-trunk shallow soil layer as critical for oviposition and overwintering and provides a basis for precise monitoring and targeted control in urban green spaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology and Management of Urban Pests: Ticks, Mosquitos, Kissing Bugs, Bed Bugs, Ants, Cockroaches, Moths, Termites, and Food Storage Pests)
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