Production and Application of Insect Pathogens in Biological Pest Control

Dear Colleagues,

Insects are the dominant group of animals causing substantial harm to agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and human health. Modern pest suppression strategies, among others, exploit microbiological agents of a diverse range, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, protists and nematodes, as well as their metabolites. The number of microbial control solutions continues to grow substantially. The biocontrol industry demonstrates a constant demand for large-scale propagation technologies aimed at increasing the bioproducts’ yield without the loss of efficiency and shelf life. As complex biological systems, microorganisms require specific conditions to implement their full range of biological activities, and the most virulent species and strains of insect pathogens may not prove effective in field, as influenced by numerous abiotic and biotic factors. On the other hand, an in-depth understanding of the interactions between microorganisms, their hosts, and the environment provides insights into the improvement of microbial formulations and the extension of their application capabilities. This Special Issue focuses on the scientific problems and novel approaches for the mass production and field application of entomopathogenic microorganisms against harmful arthropods (agricultural and forest pests), as well as vectors of dangerous diseases of domestic animals and humans. Reviews, research articles, and short communications are invited from experts and scholars in the field.

Dr. Olga N. Yaroslavtseva
Dr. Yuri S. Tokarev
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.