Invasive Insects (Adventive Pest Insects) in Florida

Recent Adventive Scale Insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) and Whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in Florida and the Caribbean Region

Detoxifying symbionts in agriculturally important pest insects

Pest insects lead to excessive agricultural and therefore economical losses on crops worldwide. These insects have to withstand toxic molecules that are inherent to plant defences, as well as those that are produced and introduced by humans in the form of insecticides. In recent years, research on insect-microbe symbioses has recognized that microbial symbionts may play a role protecting agains...

Ionizing Radiation Disinfestation Treatments against Pest Insects

Pesticides are often considered a suitable solution for controlling pests. However, the use of chemicals is very costly, and their residues have always the potential to pollute soil, air, and ground water and also pose significant risks to the natural ecosystems and nontarget organisms. Considering all these, irradiation could offer substantial and charming option for eliminating the export com...

Mermithid parasites of agricultural pest insects.

T h i s pape r assesses ou r state of knowledge of physiological processes involved in the re la t ionships between insects and the i r m e r m i t h i d ne m a tode parasi tes. T h r e e ma jo r componen t s of the host -paras i te relat ionship(s) are reviewed: effects of m e r m i t h i d s on hos t physiology, effects of hos t physiology on mermi th id s , and the physiology of the nema tod...

Development of RNAi in Insects and RNAi-Based Pest Control

In agricultural systems, insect pests can cause crop damage mainly through loss in yield or quality resulting in a loss in profits for farmers. Worldwide pests cost billions of dollars due to damage and use of pesticides. Chemical pesticides are still the major approach for controlling insect pests, but they are associated with significant hazards to the environment and human health. The altern...