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A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Pest and Vector Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2020) | Viewed by 28581

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Aaron D. Gross

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Guest Editor

Assistant Professor of Molecular Physiology and Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
Interests: Insecticide toxicology; tick-host interaction; vector-borne diseases; biochemistry and molecular physiology; neurophysiology; neurotoxicology; insecticide resistance; pollinator health; pollinator pests; public/animal pests; natural product chemistry

Prof. Joel R. Coats

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Guest Editor

Pesticide Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Entomology, Iowa State University of Science and Technology, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Interests: Insect toxicology; natural products; environmental toxicology; arthropod management technologies; vector biology; public health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Edmund Norris
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Guest Editor

Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA
Interests: Insect toxicology; biorational insecticides; mosquito control; natural product insecticides

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Growing public concern about the safety and the environmental impact of conventional insecticides, coupled with enhanced governmental regulations of such compounds, has resulted in the need to find safer alternatives. Biopesticides, which include naturally occurring substances like biochemical or microbial insecticides, but also plant-incorporated protectants, may provide such an alternative. This Special Issue of Insects will focus on biorational insecticides that are used for arthropod management. Potential manuscripts could include a review/perspective and research articles focusing on the current state of natural products and other biorational insecticides, the discovery and mode of action of natural compounds, natural compound mixtures, and behavioral modification of natural products and related materials.

Dr. Aaron D. Gross
Prof. Joel R. Coats
Dr. Edmund Norris
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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

insecticides
biorational
biopesticides
toxicology
pharmacology

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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Open AccessArticle

Co-Toxicity Factor Analysis Reveals Numerous Plant Essential Oils Are Synergists of Natural Pyrethrins against Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes

Edmund J. Norris

and

Jeffrey R. Bloomquist

Insects 2021, 12(2), 154; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12020154 - 11 Feb 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1798

Abstract

With insecticide-resistant mosquito populations becoming an ever-growing concern, new vector control technologies are needed. With the lack of new chemical classes of insecticides to control mosquito populations, the development of novel synergists may improve the performance of available insecticides. We screened a set of 20 plant essential oils alone and in combination with natural pyrethrins against Aedes aegypti (Orlando) female adult mosquitoes to assess their ability to synergize this natural insecticide. A co-toxicity factor analysis was used to identify whether plant oils modulated the toxicity of natural pyrethrins antagonistically, additively, or synergistically. Both knockdown at 1 h and mortality at 24 h were monitored. A majority of oils increased the toxicity of natural pyrethrins, either via an additive or synergistic profile. Many oils produced synergism at 2 µg/insect, whereas others were synergistic only at the higher dose of 10 µg/insect. Amyris, cardamom, cedarwood, and nutmeg East Indies (E.I.) oils were the most active oils for increasing the mortality of natural pyrethrins at 24 h with co-toxicity factors greater than 50 at either or both doses. A number of oils also synergized the 1 h knockdown of natural pyrethrins. Of these, fir needle oil and cypress oils were the most successful at improving the speed-of-action of natural pyrethrins at both doses, with co-toxicity factors of 130 and 62, respectively. To further assess the co-toxicity factor method, we applied selected plant essential oils with variable doses of natural pyrethrins to calculate synergism ratios. Only the oils that produced synergistic co-toxicity factors produced statistically significant synergism ratios. This analysis demonstrated that the degree of co-toxicity factor correlated well with the degree of synergism ratio observed (Pearson correlation coefficient r = 0.94 at 2 µg/insect; r = 0.64 at 10 µg/insect) and that the co-toxicity factor is a useful tool in screening for synergistic activity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products to Control Insect Pests)

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Open AccessArticle

Methyl Benzoate Is Superior to Other Natural Fumigants for Controlling the Indian Meal Moth (Plodia interpunctella)

and

Insects 2021, 12(1), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12010023 - 31 Dec 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 8472

Abstract

The Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is an insect pest that commonly affects stored and postharvest agricultural products. For the control of insect pests and mites, methyl benzoate (MBe) is lethal as a fumigant and also causes contact toxicity; although it has already been established as a food-safe natural product, the fumigation toxicity of MBe has yet to be demonstrated in P. interpunctella. Herein, we evaluated MBe as a potential fumigant for controlling adults of P. interpunctella in two bioassays. Compared to the monoterpenes examined under laboratory conditions, MBe demonstrated high fumigant activity using a 1-L glass bottle at 1 μL/L air within 4 h of exposure. The median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) of MBe was 0.1 μL/L air; the median lethal time (LT₅₀) of MBe at 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 1 μL/L air was 3.8, 3.3, 2.8, and 2.0 h, respectively. Compared with commercially available monoterpene compounds used in pest control, MBe showed the highest fumigant toxicity (toxicity order as follows): MBe > citronellal > linalool > 1,8 cineole > limonene. Moreover, in a larger space assay, MBe caused 100% mortality of P. interpunctella at 0.01 μL/cm³ of air after 24 h of exposure. Therefore, MBe can be recommended for use in food security programs as an ecofriendly alternative fumigant. Specifically, it provides another management tool for curtailing the loss of stored food commodities due to P. interpunctella infestation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products to Control Insect Pests)

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Open AccessArticle

Insecticidal Activity of 28 Essential Oils and a Commercial Product Containing Cinnamomum cassia Bark Essential Oil against Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky

Yunho Yang

Murray B. Isman

and

Jun-Hyung Tak

Insects 2020, 11(8), 474; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11080474 - 27 Jul 2020

Cited by 56 | Viewed by 5511

Abstract

Maize weevils, Sitophilus zeamais, are stored product pests mostly found in warm and humid regions around the globe. In the present study, acute toxicity via contact and residual bioassay and fumigant bioassay of 28 essential oils as well as their attraction–inhibitory activity against the adults of S. zeamais were evaluated. Chemical composition of the essential oils was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and a compound elimination assay was conducted on the four most active oils (cinnamon, tea tree, ylang ylang, and marjoram oils) to identify major active constituents. Amongst the oils examined, cinnamon oil was the most active in both contact/residual and fumigant bioassays, and exhibited strong behavioral inhibitory activity. Based on the compound elimination assay and chemical analyses, trans-cinnamaldehyde in cinnamon oil, and terpinen-4-ol in tea tree and marjoram oils were identified as the major active components. Although cinnamon oil seemed promising in the lab-scale bioassay without rice grains, it failed to exhibit strong insecticidal activity when the container was filled with rice. When a cinnamon oil-based product was applied both in an empty glass jar and a rice-filled container, all weevils in the empty jar were killed, whereas fewer than 15% died in the rice-filled container. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products to Control Insect Pests)

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Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Drimys winteri (Canelo) Essential Oil as Insecticide against Acanthoscelides obtectus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) and Aegorhinus superciliosus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Jocelyne Tampe

Javier Espinoza

Manuel Chacón-Fuentes

Andrés Quiroz

and

Mónica Rubilar

Insects 2020, 11(6), 335; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11060335 - 30 May 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2890

Abstract

Adverse effects caused by synthetic pesticides have increased interest in plant-derived insecticidal compounds, in particular essential oils, as a more compatible and ecofriendly alternative for pest control of economic importance. For this reason, the essential oil isolated from leaves and shoots of Drimys winteri (J.R. Forster & G. Forster)—also named canelo (CEO)—was investigated for its chemical profile and insecticidal action against Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say)—one of the most important post-harvest pests of dry beans in the world—and Aegorhinus superciliosus (Guérin)—a significant pest of fruit trees in Chile. The analysis by gas chromatography, paired with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) determined 56 compounds, corresponding to 92.28% of the detected compounds. Elemol (13.54%), γ-eudesmol (11.42%), β-eudesmol (8.49%), α-eudesmol (6.39%), α-pinene (7.92%) and β-pinene (5.17%) were the most abundant. Regarding the bioactivity of the CEO, the results demonstrated toxicological effects against A. obtectus. A concentration of 158.3 µL L⁻¹ had a mortality rate of 94% after 24 h exposure. The LC₅₀ and LC₉₀ values at 24 h were 60.1 and 163.0 µL L⁻¹. Moreover, behavioral bioassays showed a repellent effect against A. superciliosus with a dose of one microliter of CEO. Both sexes of the raspberry weevil stayed for very short times in the treated area with the oil (<0.8 min), showing a homogeneous repellency in the species. The overall data suggest that canelo leaves and shoots essential oil has an insecticide effect and is worth exploring to better understand the synergistic relationship between the compounds present in the essential oil. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products to Control Insect Pests)

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Open AccessArticle

Insecticidal and Histopathological Effects of Ageratum conyzoides Weed Extracts against Dengue Vector, Aedes aegypti

and

Jiraporn Ruangsittichai

Insects 2020, 11(4), 224; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11040224 - 03 Apr 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4594

Abstract

Crude extracts and essential oils of A. conyzoides were tested with larva and adult stages of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes to determine their insecticidal properties. The crude extracts and essential oils came from three varieties of A. conyzoides (with white flowers, purple flowers, or white-purple flowers) and from two places on each plant (leaves and flowers), giving six types overall: leaf-white (LW); leaf-purple (LP); leaf white-purple (LW-P); flower-white (FW); flower-purple (FP); and flower white-purple (FW-P). Chemical constituents and components of the essential oils were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Electron microscopic and histopathological studies were performed to determine the toxicological effects on mosquitoes in terms of morphological alterations. The six types of crude extracts exhibited no activity against individuals in the larval stages. However, six types of essential oils were effective against adult Ae. aegypti females. The mortality of adult Ae. aegypti females was higher from leaf extracts, particularly LP (median lethal dose, LD₅₀ = 0.84%). The number of chemical constituents identified by GC-MS was high in flowers, especially W-P. Precocene I was the most abundant chemical component among the five types of essential oils, except in LP, in which precocene II was the most abundant. Histopathological alterations in adult Ae. aegypti females included compound eye degeneration, muscular damage with cellular infiltration, gut epithelial degeneration and necrosis, pyknotic nuclei in the malpighian epithelium and ovarian cell degeneration. FW and FP plant types exhibited the highest severity of histopathological alterations in mosquitoes compared with other plants, probably owing to the presence of monoterpene compounds in their tissues. The present study demonstrated LP plant extracts from A. conyzoides could be effective adulticides against adult Ae. aegypti. As natural products are biodegradable and exhibit low toxicity to mammalian and non-target organisms, they are suitable candidates for use in vector control programmes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products to Control Insect Pests)

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Review

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Open AccessReview

Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) on the “Offensive” in Africa: Prospects for Integrated Management Initiatives

Vimbai L. Tarusikirwa

and

Insects 2020, 11(11), 764; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11110764 - 06 Nov 2020

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4567

Abstract

The South American tomato pinworm Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) has aggressively invaded the African continent. Since its first detection in North Africa in Morocco and Tunisia in 2008, it has successfully invaded the entire southern, eastern and western Africa, where it has been on the offensive, causing significant damage to Solanaceous food crops. While control of this prolific invader is primarily based on conventional synthetic pesticides, this form of control is consistently losing societal approval owing to (1) pesticide resistance development and consequential loss of field efficacy; (2) growing public health concerns; (3) environmental contamination and loss of biological diversity and its associated ecological services; and (4) unsustainable costs, particularly for resource-poor African farmers. As such, more ecologically sound pest management strategies, e.g., the use of natural substances (NSs), may offer a more sustainable approach to tackling this offensive. A systematic literature search through digital libraries and online databases (JSTOR, PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS and Google Scholar) was conducted using predetermined keywords on T. absoluta, e.g., South American tomato pinworm. We use this to explain the invasion of T. absoluta in Africa, citing mechanisms facilitating African invasion and exploring the potential of its control using diverse biological control agents, natural and low-risk substances. Specifically, we explore how botanicals, entomopathogens, semiochemicals, predators, parasitoids, host plant resistance, sterile insect technique and others have been spatially employed to control T. absoluta and discuss the potential of these control agents in African landscapes using more integrated approaches. We discuss the use of NSs as assets to general insect pest control, some potential associated liabilities and explain the potential use and barriers to adoption in African systems from a legislative, economic, ecological and social standpoint. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products to Control Insect Pests)

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