Pub Date : 2025-12-05DOI: 10.1007/s10340-025-01989-w
Reyna Vargas-Abasolo, Liliana Aguilar-Marcelino, Stephany Rodríguez-González, Jorge Cime-Castillo, Alex Córdoba-Aguilar
One of the greatest risks humanity faces is the threat posed by mosquitoes of medical importance. Mosquitoes’ risk is enhanced by their increasing resistance to synthetic insecticides, which presents a critical concern to conventional control programs and human health and environmental safety. Given the urgent need for effective and sustainable alternatives, we need commercial products that simultaneously offer environmental sustainability, availability, and affordability. In this review, we examine and evaluate a range of substances with potential applications in mosquito monitoring and control strategies, including molecules produced by mosquitoes themselves, as well as compounds of both organic and inorganic origin. The lethal and sublethal effects of botanical and microbial insecticides such as essential oils and plant or bacterial extracts are discussed, with emphasis on their activity as ovicides, larvicides, adulticides, repellents, or oviposition deterrents. Innovative formulations, including micro- and nanostructured delivery systems, are also highlighted. In addition, the non-target effects of these biosolutions are considered, and their practical feasibility is evaluated. Finally, we identify key research challenges aimed at improving the efficacy, safety, and practical applicability of these tools, which are essential for the development of more sustainable mosquito control strategies.
{"title":"Nature-inspired solutions: semiochemical, botanical, and microbial tools, for mosquito management","authors":"Reyna Vargas-Abasolo, Liliana Aguilar-Marcelino, Stephany Rodríguez-González, Jorge Cime-Castillo, Alex Córdoba-Aguilar","doi":"10.1007/s10340-025-01989-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-025-01989-w","url":null,"abstract":"One of the greatest risks humanity faces is the threat posed by mosquitoes of medical importance. Mosquitoes’ risk is enhanced by their increasing resistance to synthetic insecticides, which presents a critical concern to conventional control programs and human health and environmental safety. Given the urgent need for effective and sustainable alternatives, we need commercial products that simultaneously offer environmental sustainability, availability, and affordability. In this review, we examine and evaluate a range of substances with potential applications in mosquito monitoring and control strategies, including molecules produced by mosquitoes themselves, as well as compounds of both organic and inorganic origin. The lethal and sublethal effects of botanical and microbial insecticides such as essential oils and plant or bacterial extracts are discussed, with emphasis on their activity as ovicides, larvicides, adulticides, repellents, or oviposition deterrents. Innovative formulations, including micro- and nanostructured delivery systems, are also highlighted. In addition, the non-target effects of these biosolutions are considered, and their practical feasibility is evaluated. Finally, we identify key research challenges aimed at improving the efficacy, safety, and practical applicability of these tools, which are essential for the development of more sustainable mosquito control strategies.","PeriodicalId":16736,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pest Science","volume":"36 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145680317","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-05DOI: 10.1007/s10340-025-01999-8
Jay A. Rosenheim, Michael Culshaw-Maurer
Pesticides support crop production, enhancing global food security, but are associated with serious environmental and health risks. Factors that promote overuse of pesticides are therefore of great concern. Pest control advisors (PCAs) are agricultural professionals who scout fields for pests and may recommend pesticide applications. We test two hypotheses regarding the influence of PCAs on pesticide use by California farmers, contrasting four groups: independent PCAs, sales PCAs, farm-staff PCAs, and farmer PCAs. The long-discussed conflict of interest hypothesis posits that sales commissions earned by PCAs who work for agricultural chemical retailers (“sales PCAs”) incentivize pesticide use; it predicts elevated use of all pesticides by farmers advised by sales PCAs. The risk aversion hypothesis posits that the risk of damaging pest outbreaks incentivizes pesticide use; it predicts elevated pesticide use when targeting pests that can exhibit outbreaks (arthropods and plant pathogens) but not when targeting non-outbreak pests (weeds). We assembled a dataset of pesticide use on nearly 600,000 crop-years grown in California from 2012 to 2021 by farmers advised by different types of PCAs. Our analysis provides little to no support for the conflict of interest hypothesis; farmers advised by sales PCAs used slightly less pesticides than farmers advised by independent PCAs (who receive no sales commission). Instead, our analysis reveals pesticide use consistent with the risk aversion hypothesis, with elevated use of pesticides by one group of PCAs (farm-staff) when managing arthropods and pathogens, but not when managing weeds. Risk aversion, rather than sales commissions, may be shaping pesticide use in California.
{"title":"Conflicts of interest, risk aversion, and pesticide use in California agriculture","authors":"Jay A. Rosenheim, Michael Culshaw-Maurer","doi":"10.1007/s10340-025-01999-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-025-01999-8","url":null,"abstract":"Pesticides support crop production, enhancing global food security, but are associated with serious environmental and health risks. Factors that promote overuse of pesticides are therefore of great concern. Pest control advisors (PCAs) are agricultural professionals who scout fields for pests and may recommend pesticide applications. We test two hypotheses regarding the influence of PCAs on pesticide use by California farmers, contrasting four groups: independent PCAs, sales PCAs, farm-staff PCAs, and farmer PCAs. The long-discussed conflict of interest hypothesis posits that sales commissions earned by PCAs who work for agricultural chemical retailers (“sales PCAs”) incentivize pesticide use; it predicts elevated use of all pesticides by farmers advised by sales PCAs. The risk aversion hypothesis posits that the risk of damaging pest outbreaks incentivizes pesticide use; it predicts elevated pesticide use when targeting pests that can exhibit outbreaks (arthropods and plant pathogens) but not when targeting non-outbreak pests (weeds). We assembled a dataset of pesticide use on nearly 600,000 crop-years grown in California from 2012 to 2021 by farmers advised by different types of PCAs. Our analysis provides little to no support for the conflict of interest hypothesis; farmers advised by sales PCAs used slightly less pesticides than farmers advised by independent PCAs (who receive no sales commission). Instead, our analysis reveals pesticide use consistent with the risk aversion hypothesis, with elevated use of pesticides by one group of PCAs (farm-staff) when managing arthropods and pathogens, but not when managing weeds. Risk aversion, rather than sales commissions, may be shaping pesticide use in California.","PeriodicalId":16736,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pest Science","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145680240","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-05DOI: 10.1007/s10340-025-01972-5
Zifei Xie, Yuping Zhang, Yijuan Xu
{"title":"Symbiotic bacteria modulate parasitic wasp fitness: mechanisms and applications in sustainable pest management","authors":"Zifei Xie, Yuping Zhang, Yijuan Xu","doi":"10.1007/s10340-025-01972-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-025-01972-5","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":16736,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pest Science","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145680313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-05DOI: 10.1007/s10340-025-01971-6
Guillermo Rehermann, Christine Petig, Samar Khalil, Johan A. Stenberg, Rainer Meyhöfer, Paul G. Becher
Sustainable strategies are needed to manage plant pathogens and pests without disrupting ecological functions provided by beneficial organisms. Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae), such as Eupeodes corollae , provide ecosystem services and are applied especially in cultivations of horticultural crops: adults serve as pollinators, while larvae prey on pests like aphids. Here, we investigated whether E. corollae can also function as an entomovector for delivering microbial biocontrol agents into flowering crops, similar to systems developed for bees. Targeting the strawberry ( Fragaria × ananassa )–grey mould ( Botrytis cinerea ) pathosystem, we tested the yeast Metschnikowia fructicola (isolate UDA10) for its suitability in hoverfly entomovectoring and suppression of grey mould. Dual culture assays confirmed that M. fructicola inhibits B. cinerea growth. We further demonstrated that E. corollae effectively vectors M. fructicola to strawberry flowers. In a greenhouse experiment, we tested whether hoverflies and yeast, alone or combined, can suppress grey mould in postharvest strawberries from flowers artificially inoculated with B. cinerea . Hoverfly activity significantly reduced the fungal infection (lesion and mycelial coverage) on cold stored fruit by 50–70% after two weeks, especially in combination with the yeast. Additionally, fruits from hoverfly-pollinated flowers were of higher shape quality, indicating improved pollination. Our findings add value to E. corollae as a multifunctional ‘ flying agent ’ for integrated pest and pollination management, capable of enhancing pollination, entomovectoring for targeted plant pathogen suppression and controlling pests via larval predation. The ‘ flying agent ’ multitool can potentially be extended to other horticultural systems, contributing to both quality and yield improvements, while reducing reliance on chemical inputs for pest and disease control.
{"title":"‘Flying agents’: hoverflies as a multitool for pollination, vectoring of beneficial microbes and biological control of grey mould disease in strawberries","authors":"Guillermo Rehermann, Christine Petig, Samar Khalil, Johan A. Stenberg, Rainer Meyhöfer, Paul G. Becher","doi":"10.1007/s10340-025-01971-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-025-01971-6","url":null,"abstract":"Sustainable strategies are needed to manage plant pathogens and pests without disrupting ecological functions provided by beneficial organisms. Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae), such as <jats:italic>Eupeodes corollae</jats:italic> , provide ecosystem services and are applied especially in cultivations of horticultural crops: adults serve as pollinators, while larvae prey on pests like aphids. Here, we investigated whether <jats:italic>E. corollae</jats:italic> can also function as an entomovector for delivering microbial biocontrol agents into flowering crops, similar to systems developed for bees. Targeting the strawberry ( <jats:italic>Fragaria</jats:italic> × <jats:italic>ananassa</jats:italic> )–grey mould ( <jats:italic>Botrytis cinerea</jats:italic> ) pathosystem, we tested the yeast <jats:italic>Metschnikowia fructicola</jats:italic> (isolate UDA10) for its suitability in hoverfly entomovectoring and suppression of grey mould. Dual culture assays confirmed that <jats:italic>M. fructicola</jats:italic> inhibits <jats:italic>B. cinerea</jats:italic> growth. We further demonstrated that <jats:italic>E. corollae</jats:italic> effectively vectors <jats:italic>M. fructicola</jats:italic> to strawberry flowers. In a greenhouse experiment, we tested whether hoverflies and yeast, alone or combined, can suppress grey mould in postharvest strawberries from flowers artificially inoculated with <jats:italic>B. cinerea</jats:italic> . Hoverfly activity significantly reduced the fungal infection (lesion and mycelial coverage) on cold stored fruit by 50–70% after two weeks, especially in combination with the yeast. Additionally, fruits from hoverfly-pollinated flowers were of higher shape quality, indicating improved pollination. Our findings add value to <jats:italic>E. corollae</jats:italic> as a multifunctional ‘ <jats:italic>flying agent</jats:italic> ’ for integrated pest and pollination management, capable of enhancing pollination, entomovectoring for targeted plant pathogen suppression and controlling pests via larval predation. The ‘ <jats:italic>flying agent</jats:italic> ’ multitool can potentially be extended to other horticultural systems, contributing to both quality and yield improvements, while reducing reliance on chemical inputs for pest and disease control.","PeriodicalId":16736,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pest Science","volume":"127 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145680314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-05DOI: 10.1007/s10340-025-01965-4
Jéssica Emiliane Rodrigues Gorri, Naydja Morallles Maimone, Gabriel Luiz Padoan Gonçalves, Alan Giovanini de Oliveira Sartori, Rodrigo Donizeti Faria, José Djair Vendramim, Edson Luiz Lopes Baldin, Simone Possedente de Lira, Leandro do Prado Ribeiro
{"title":"Non-targeted metabolomics characterization of Annona derivatives with lethal and sublethal toxicities to coffee leaf miner","authors":"Jéssica Emiliane Rodrigues Gorri, Naydja Morallles Maimone, Gabriel Luiz Padoan Gonçalves, Alan Giovanini de Oliveira Sartori, Rodrigo Donizeti Faria, José Djair Vendramim, Edson Luiz Lopes Baldin, Simone Possedente de Lira, Leandro do Prado Ribeiro","doi":"10.1007/s10340-025-01965-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-025-01965-4","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":16736,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pest Science","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145680319","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-02DOI: 10.1007/s10340-025-01985-0
Kamran Haider, Dilawar Abbas, Farman Ullah, Muhammad Ijaz, Muhammad Ikram, Kamil Kabir, Khalid Ali Khan, Jose Galian
{"title":"Climate-driven insect pest outbreaks and food security risks: a review of adaptive strategies for resilient agriculture","authors":"Kamran Haider, Dilawar Abbas, Farman Ullah, Muhammad Ijaz, Muhammad Ikram, Kamil Kabir, Khalid Ali Khan, Jose Galian","doi":"10.1007/s10340-025-01985-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-025-01985-0","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":16736,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pest Science","volume":"41 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145657154","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1007/s10340-025-01992-1
Marcos Antonio Bezerra-Santos, Filipe Dantas-Torres, Carla Maia, Petr Volf, Domenico Otranto
Phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) are small, blood-feeding insects found in a wide range of ecosystems, from tropical and subtropical regions to temperate climates. Among the pathogens transmitted by these tiny insects (i.e., viruses, bacteria, and protozoa), Leishmania spp. are the most significant disease agents affecting humans and domestic animals, mainly in low-income countries, where prevention and control are challenging. Despite substantial progress in understanding the biology of sand flies and the parasites they transmit, critical knowledge gaps remain regarding their biology and ecology. Research into sand fly behavior, feeding preferences, resting sites, and breeding sites across various ecological settings is relevant for designing targeted interventions. Additionally, advances in innovative control tools are being explored to reduce the use of pyrethroids. These may include natural repellents (e.g., volatile organic compounds produced by vertebrate hosts), genetically modified sand flies (through gene editing or symbiont modification), and biological agents such as entomopathogenic fungi. These alternative tools offer promising avenues for developing a sustainable and integrated control strategy for sand flies. In this review, we provide insights into the bioecology of sand flies and highlight novel approaches that may enhance the effectiveness of sand fly control efforts.
{"title":"Bio-ecology and management of phlebotomine sand flies: unraveling the complexity of vector control","authors":"Marcos Antonio Bezerra-Santos, Filipe Dantas-Torres, Carla Maia, Petr Volf, Domenico Otranto","doi":"10.1007/s10340-025-01992-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-025-01992-1","url":null,"abstract":"Phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) are small, blood-feeding insects found in a wide range of ecosystems, from tropical and subtropical regions to temperate climates. Among the pathogens transmitted by these tiny insects (i.e., viruses, bacteria, and protozoa), <jats:italic>Leishmania</jats:italic> spp. are the most significant disease agents affecting humans and domestic animals, mainly in low-income countries, where prevention and control are challenging. Despite substantial progress in understanding the biology of sand flies and the parasites they transmit, critical knowledge gaps remain regarding their biology and ecology. Research into sand fly behavior, feeding preferences, resting sites, and breeding sites across various ecological settings is relevant for designing targeted interventions. Additionally, advances in innovative control tools are being explored to reduce the use of pyrethroids. These may include natural repellents (e.g., volatile organic compounds produced by vertebrate hosts), genetically modified sand flies (through gene editing or symbiont modification), and biological agents such as entomopathogenic fungi. These alternative tools offer promising avenues for developing a sustainable and integrated control strategy for sand flies. In this review, we provide insights into the bioecology of sand flies and highlight novel approaches that may enhance the effectiveness of sand fly control efforts.","PeriodicalId":16736,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pest Science","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145645279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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