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Insects
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Insects Ecology and Biological Control Applications
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Insects Ecology and Biological Control Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 7867

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Benshui Shu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Guangzhou City Key Laboratory of Subtropical Fruit Trees Outbreak Control, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China
Interests: Spodoptera frugiperda; fall armyworm; toxicology; biological control; invasive arthropods
Prof. Dr. Eric Conti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy
Interests: insect behavior; chemical ecology; tri-trophic interactions; plant resistance to insects; biological control; IPM—integrated pest management; insect biotechnology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The class Insecta constitutes the most diverse, abundant, and widely distributed group in the animal kingdom. In the context of global environmental change, the relationship between insects and the natural world is undergoing substantial modifications. The use of pesticides and the introduction of non-native species, among other factors, have led to the deterioration of various environments and a gradual reduction in insect species diversity. The development of biologically based interventions for pest management corresponds with insect ecological conservation initiatives. Insect biological control is that which involves predatory and parasitic natural enemies, entomopathogenic microorganisms, as well as active ingredients derived from plants, animals, microbes, etc., and is a form of insect ecology.

In light of these factors, our Special Issue will provide a platform for recent research highlighting the application of biological agents as interventions in management plans in conjunction with insect ecological research methodologies. Other work that falls within the scope of this Special Issue is welcome.

Dr. Benshui Shu
Prof. Dr. Eric Conti
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

  • insect ecology
  • biological control
  • symbiosis
  • interactions
  • population biology
  • ecotoxicology
  • ecophysiology
  • environmental biochemistry
  • behavioral biology
  • conservation
  • natural enemy

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

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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24 pages, 8107 KB  
Article
Seasonal and Interannual Variability in the Insect Pest Damage and Beneficial Insect Populations Across Apple Orchards of Different Ages
by Kornél Komáromi, Mihály Zalai, Ágnes Kukorellyné Szénási and Zita Dorner
Insects 2026, 17(3), 341; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects17030341 - 20 Mar 2026
Viewed by 612
Abstract
Apple is one of the most important fruits worldwide; in addition, it constitutes nearly 60% of Hungary’s total fruit production. Presently, the challenge in pest management is not only the decreased range of pesticides, but also the deeper knowledge of natural enemies occurring [...] Read more.
Apple is one of the most important fruits worldwide; in addition, it constitutes nearly 60% of Hungary’s total fruit production. Presently, the challenge in pest management is not only the decreased range of pesticides, but also the deeper knowledge of natural enemies occurring in fruit plantations, and in their neighborhood. Our objective was to study how season, year, orchard structure, and varieties influence the occurrence of insect pest damage and beneficial insects in apple. We also investigated the strength of correlations between pest damage and natural enemies, as well as among the different natural enemy taxa. The experiment was conducted in three apple orchards, and the damage of insect pests and the number of natural enemies were monitored across ten trees/varieties/sectors/dates. All sites were managed according to integrated pest management (IPM) guidelines, and no unmanaged or untreated control plots were included. Significant differences were observed among orchards and years for all taxa, except Cydia pomonella (L.) among orchards and Orius spp. among years. Pest populations are primarily driven by seasonal and climatic factors, while beneficial insects are shaped more by local habitat features and orchard structure. No effect of the varieties on insect damage could be detected, whereas the abundance of beneficial organisms differed significantly among varieties in more cases. The weak correlations between pests and their natural enemies suggest that the presence and activity of predators depend not only on pest abundance but also on other interrelated ecological factors in intensive apple orchards. The damage caused by C. pomonella could also be kept at a low level in all orchards when appropriate pest management technology is applied. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insects Ecology and Biological Control Applications)
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21 pages, 2314 KB  
Article
Insect Pests and Arthropods in Heritage Interiors
by Peter Brimblecombe and Pascal Querner
Insects 2026, 17(3), 309; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects17030309 - 12 Mar 2026
Viewed by 681
Abstract
The insect threat to heritage objects can increase with climate change, increased travel, movement of goods and loan exhibitions. This study used catch from 30 heritage environments across Austria. Overall arthropod catch rate in storerooms was lower than in museums and libraries. Taxonomic [...] Read more.
The insect threat to heritage objects can increase with climate change, increased travel, movement of goods and loan exhibitions. This study used catch from 30 heritage environments across Austria. Overall arthropod catch rate in storerooms was lower than in museums and libraries. Taxonomic richness of the ecosystem in the buildings was a product of building size, perhaps paralleling island biogeography. Heritage pests are distributed independently and follow environmental gradients, perhaps aligning with Henry Gleason’s continuum theory of ecological communities. Catch rates for some abundant pests are evenly distributed among buildings (e.g., Psocoptera booklice, Lepisma saccharinum common silverfish), but Tineola bisselliella, the webbing clothes moth, is unevenly distributed because some locations have large infestations. Rare species are unevenly distributed, as these are found in only a few buildings. A characteristic set of insect pests appear to dominate indoor heritage environments in Austria: Psocoptera, Lepismatidae silverfish, Tineola bisselliella webbing clothes moth and carpet beetles like Anthrenus spp. and Attagenus spp. These pests are also common in the interiors of heritage buildings in some other European countries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insects Ecology and Biological Control Applications)
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12 pages, 2455 KB  
Article
Study on the Stability of Reference Genes and HSP60 for Expression Analysis in Chilo suppressalis in Response to Humidity Stress
by Ming Zhao, Yong Chen, Hai-Bo Zhang, Jian-Fei Mei and Ya-Jun Guo
Insects 2026, 17(1), 72; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects17010072 - 7 Jan 2026
Viewed by 461
Abstract
Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) is a high-reliability, -sensitivity, and -operability technique to quantify gene expression. It is necessary to select stable reference genes for normalization. Water plays important roles in the metabolism, physiology, distribution, and so on, in insects. In this study, the [...] Read more.
Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) is a high-reliability, -sensitivity, and -operability technique to quantify gene expression. It is necessary to select stable reference genes for normalization. Water plays important roles in the metabolism, physiology, distribution, and so on, in insects. In this study, the suitability of various reference genes for qRT-PCR analysis was evaluated in different developmental stages of Chilo suppressalis exposed to desiccation or rehydration stress. The ∆Ct method, geNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper were used to evaluate the suitability of nine reference genes for normalizing gene expression in the third instar larvae, the fifth instar larvae, male pupae, female pupae, male adults, and female adults under different humidities. The results indicated that 18S rRNA was the most stable reference gene for monitoring gene expression in the third instar larvae, while ACTIN, TUB, UBI, UBI, and EF1 were the optimal genes for the fifth instar larvae, male pupae, female pupae, male adults, and female adults, respectively. The optimal number of reference genes recommended by geNorm analysis indicated that two candidate reference genes were sufficient for data normalization under all experimental conditions tested. To validate these recommendations, the expression profile of the gene encoding heat shock protein 60 (Hsp60) was investigated. Hsp60 transcript levels showed significant differences when normalized to the most stable single reference gene, or combined reference genes, compared with the least stable reference gene. The reference genes identified in the present study will enhance the reliability of gene expression data for C. suppressalis under humidity stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insects Ecology and Biological Control Applications)
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15 pages, 2970 KB  
Article
Growth Inhibition, Mortality Induction, Adverse Impacts of Development, and Underlying Molecular Mechanisms of Thymol Against Spodoptera frugiperda
by Huiyin Hu, Huanqian Yao, Shuyin He, Xinyi Xie, Cuiting Liu, Veeran Sethuraman, Jingjing Zhang and Benshui Shu
Insects 2026, 17(1), 69; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects17010069 - 6 Jan 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 807
Abstract
The global migratory pest, Spodoptera frugiperda, has garnered widespread attention due to the serious damage it inflicts on agricultural productivity, particularly in maize. Thymol is a phytochemical that exhibits functional diversification in plant defense, encompassing antibacterial activities and insect pest management. However, [...] Read more.
The global migratory pest, Spodoptera frugiperda, has garnered widespread attention due to the serious damage it inflicts on agricultural productivity, particularly in maize. Thymol is a phytochemical that exhibits functional diversification in plant defense, encompassing antibacterial activities and insect pest management. However, the impact of thymol on S. frugiperda is still undetermined. This study examined the growth inhibition and mortality induction in S. frugiperda larvae after thymol exposure. The detrimental effects of 2.0 and 4.0 mg/g thymol treatments on the growth and development of S. frugiperda were also examined. RNA-Seq was used to investigate the probable toxicological mechanism of thymol on S. frugiperda, resulting in the identification of 1754 and 1022 DEGs impacted by 2.0 and 4.0 mg/g thymol treatments, respectively. The DEGs associated with chitin metabolism and cuticle synthesis, hormone biosynthesis, and protein and fat digestion were subjected to additional analysis. Our findings demonstrate the efficacy of thymol in controlling S. frugiperda and lay the groundwork for understanding the molecular toxicological mechanisms of thymol on larvae. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insects Ecology and Biological Control Applications)
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12 pages, 1058 KB  
Article
Parasitization Activity by Eretmocerus iulii over the Orange Spiny Whitefly, Aleurocanthus spiniferus, in Sicily
by Alessia Farina and Carmelo Rapisarda
Insects 2025, 16(10), 1074; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16101074 - 21 Oct 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 913
Abstract
Since its first report in 2020, Aleurocanthus spiniferus has rapidly spread in Sicily, causing alarm among citrus growers. To assess biocontrol possibilities, its spontaneous natural enemies were observed and, from summer 2023, sporadic parasitization was noted by an unknown species of the genus [...] Read more.
Since its first report in 2020, Aleurocanthus spiniferus has rapidly spread in Sicily, causing alarm among citrus growers. To assess biocontrol possibilities, its spontaneous natural enemies were observed and, from summer 2023, sporadic parasitization was noted by an unknown species of the genus Eretmocerus, recently described as E. iulii. Parasitization over the OSW was studied regularly from November 2023 at two sites and from August 2024 at a third site (all of them in eastern Sicily). At the first two sites, parasitization was very low (<1%) at the beginning of the observations, increased during autumn 2023 (not exceeding 10%), decreased during winter 2023–2024 and rapidly increased again during spring 2024, peaking in May–June with over 30%. After declining during the hot and dry summer 2024, parasitization increased again in autumn 2024, reaching 15–20% higher values compared to the previous autumn, and continued to rise gradually until the end of the monitoring period. A similar parasitization trend was noted at the third site. At all three sites, increasing parasitization coincides with a lower density of OSW nymphs. These findings show the potential of E. iulii as a promising biological control agent, offering a sustainable solution to mitigate the effect of this whitefly on citrus production in Sicily. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insects Ecology and Biological Control Applications)
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16 pages, 9701 KB  
Article
The Parasitoid Complex of Aleurothrixus floccosus (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in the Citrus Groves of Central–Southern Italy
by Gianluca Melone, Lucia Andretta, Valentino Maria Guastaferro, Eleonora Romito, Giorgio Formisano, Massimo Giorgini and Stefania Laudonia
Insects 2025, 16(10), 1037; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16101037 - 9 Oct 2025
Viewed by 2318
Abstract
The woolly whitefly, Aleurothrixus floccosus, is likely a Neotropical origin species that has spread globally. Introduced to France in 1969, it became a pest in southern European citrus groves, first reported in Italy in 1974. Integrated management using biological control agents is [...] Read more.
The woolly whitefly, Aleurothrixus floccosus, is likely a Neotropical origin species that has spread globally. Introduced to France in 1969, it became a pest in southern European citrus groves, first reported in Italy in 1974. Integrated management using biological control agents is crucial due to the low efficacy of chemical controls. Nymphs produce waxy filaments and honeydew, limiting insecticide contact. Natural enemies, especially from Neotropics, have been documented. The parasitoids Amitus spiniferus and Cales noacki were released in France in 1970 and later observed in Liguria, Italy. In the Campania region, C. noacki was first found on Aleurotuba jelineki in 1984 and this finding preceded the first report of A. floccosus in the same area. Subsequently, C. noacki was also introduced in other regions where it showed better adaptation throughout the Italian territory, reaching high parasitization levels on the woolly whitefly nymphs. After many years since the last field investigations, surveys in 2024–2025 in organic citrus groves in central and southern Italy identified additional parasitoids. Besides C. noacki and A. spiniferus, Eretmocerus paulistus and Signiphora xanthographa were found for the first time in Italy. Both species were originally described from the Neotropical ecozone. The aphelinid finding represents its first documented establishment in Italy, while the signiphorid one represents a new record for the European fauna. E. paulistus is a primary parasitoid, while S. xanthographa is a hyperparasitoid that can limit the effectiveness of other parasitoids. The interaction of these parasitoids resulted in high parasitism rates for A. floccosus nymphs. Preserving the current complexity of parasitoids in integrated pest management (IPM) programs could effectively control the woolly whitefly in central and southern Italy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insects Ecology and Biological Control Applications)
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Review

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32 pages, 521 KB  
Review
Vineyard Design, Cultural Practices and Physical Methods for Controlling Grapevine Pests and Disease Vectors in Europe: A Review
by Francesco Pavan, Elena Cargnus and Pietro Zandigiacomo
Insects 2026, 17(1), 113; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects17010113 - 20 Jan 2026
Viewed by 1247
Abstract
In Europe, due to reduced availability and efficacy of active ingredients, strategies against grapevine pests based on alternative tools to synthetic pesticides need to be developed. So far, attention has been mainly focused on biological control (arthropod natural enemies and entomopathogens) and mating [...] Read more.
In Europe, due to reduced availability and efficacy of active ingredients, strategies against grapevine pests based on alternative tools to synthetic pesticides need to be developed. So far, attention has been mainly focused on biological control (arthropod natural enemies and entomopathogens) and mating disruption, but other means can also help keep pests below economic injury levels. This paper aims to review information on the direct effects of farmers’ choices on grapevine pest populations, ranging from vineyard design (e.g., growing habitat, grapevine cultivar, and training system) to annual agronomic practices (e.g., fertilization, irrigation, and pruning), and specific cultural and physical methods. Information was based on the CABI Digital Library, websites and books on grapevine pests. The data presentation is based on control strategies rather than pests, as it was considered more important to focus on the mode of action of different practices and to know which pests they affect simultaneously. The widespread availability of insecticides has long led to the neglect of the potential of cultural practices, which can effectively integrate other pest control tools. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insects Ecology and Biological Control Applications)
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