Effective locust and grasshopper control is crucial as invasions have seriously threatened crops food security since ancient times. However, the preponderance of chemical insecticides, effective widely used today, increasingly criticized a result their adverse effects on human health environment. Alternative biological methods are being actively sought to replace pesticides. Nosema locustae (Sy...

Abstract Background The ladybird beetle Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant, 1853 (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) is used worldwide as a biological control agent. It predator of various mealybug pests, but it also feeds on alternative prey and can be reared artificial diets. Relatively little known about the underlying genetic adaptations its feeding habits. Results We report first high-quality genom...