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Insects
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Advances in Urban Pest Management in Europe
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Advances in Urban Pest Management in Europe

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 August 2023) | Viewed by 15308

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Athanasios Giatropoulos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Efficacy Control of Pesticides, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, 8 St. Delta str., 14561 Kifissia, Attica, Greece
Interests: mosquitoes; mosquito surveillance; mosquito bio-ecology; competitive interactions; natural products; essential oils; insecticides; repellents
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to submit original research articles or reviews for the Special Issue “Advances in Urban Pest Management in Europe”.

The domestic and peri-domestic environment in European cities provides harborage and food for insects and other arthropods which are considered pests, either because they bite, sting, suck blood, transmit parasites and pathogens, contaminate food, damage wood or fabrics, or because they induce allergies or entomophobia. Household and structural arthropod pests in the urban environment include mosquitoes, bedbugs, fleas, ticks, cockroaches, ants, flies, wasps, textile-attacking insects, termites, stored-product pests, spiders, and others. For their management, a variety of chemical and nonchemical methods are used. Consideration for adverse exposure to humans and non-target organisms has led to the development of modern insecticides and application techniques, while maintaining or increasing efficacy.

This Special Issue aims to report recent advances in urban pest management strategies against household and structural pest insects and other arthropods encountered in Europe, including synthetic insecticides and repellents, insecticide resistance management, botanical, microbial and biological control agents, nanotechnology, attract and kill strategies, transgenic and biotechnological control methods, sterile insect technique, modified atmospheres, and others.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

Urban entomology, applied entomology, urban pest management, parasitology, chemical control, insecticide resistance, biological control, biotechnology, nanotechnology.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Athanasios Giatropoulos
Guest Editor

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

  • urban pest insects
  • urban pest management
  • insecticides
  • repellents
  • insecticide resistance
  • plant-based insecticides
  • nanotechnology
  • microbials
  • transgenic control methods
  • biotechnological control methods

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 8155 KiB  
Article
Multiple Aspects of the Fight against the Red Palm Weevil in an Urban Area: Study Case, San Benedetto del Tronto (Central Italy)
by Luca Bracchetti, Paolo Cocci and Francesco Alessandro Palermo
Insects 2023, 14(6), 502; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14060502 - 30 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 953
Abstract
The fight against alien invasive insect pests of plants in the urban environment often affects varied sectors of the economy, landscape gardening, public health, and ecology. This paper focuses on the evolution of the red palm weevil in San Benedetto del Tronto, a [...] Read more.
The fight against alien invasive insect pests of plants in the urban environment often affects varied sectors of the economy, landscape gardening, public health, and ecology. This paper focuses on the evolution of the red palm weevil in San Benedetto del Tronto, a coastal urban area in central Italy. We investigated the evolution of this insect pest of palm trees in the 2013–2020 period, considering both the effectiveness of the chemicals used and their potentially harmful effects. With a multidisciplinary approach, we carried out a spatio-temporal analysis of the extent and mode of pest spread over time using historical aerial photos, freely available remote sensing images, and field surveys integrated in a GIS environment. We also assessed the toxicity risk associated with the chemicals used to protect the palms from the red weevil. The fight against this weevil is now concentrated in specific areas such as parks, roads, villas, hotels, farmhouses, and nurseries. The preventive chemical treatments applied are very effective in preserving the palms, but they show a toxic potential for all organisms. We discuss current local management of this pest, focusing on several aspects involved in the fight against this beetle in an urban area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Urban Pest Management in Europe)
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13 pages, 1562 KiB  
Article
Evaluating the Sublethal Effects of Origanum vulgare Essential Oil and Carvacrol on the Biological Characteristics of Culex pipiens biotype molestus (Diptera: Culicidae)
by Athanasios Giatropoulos, George Koliopoulos, Pavlos-Nektarios Pantelakis, Dimitrios Papachristos and Antonios Michaelakis
Insects 2023, 14(4), 400; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14040400 - 20 Apr 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2089
Abstract
Culex pipiens is a mosquito species complex spread worldwide that poses a serious threat to human health as the primary vector of West Nile virus. Its control is mainly based on larvicidal applications with synthetic insecticides on mosquito breeding sites. However, the excessive [...] Read more.
Culex pipiens is a mosquito species complex spread worldwide that poses a serious threat to human health as the primary vector of West Nile virus. Its control is mainly based on larvicidal applications with synthetic insecticides on mosquito breeding sites. However, the excessive use of synthetic larvicides may provoke mosquito resistance issues and negative side effects to the aquatic environment and human health. Plant-derived essential oils, including those from the Lamiaceae family, can be eco-friendly alternative larvicidal agents causing acute larval toxicity and/or growth inhibitory effects on the developmental stages of mosquitoes through different modes of action. In the current laboratory study, we evaluated the sublethal effects of carvacrol-rich oregano essential oil and pure carvacrol on Cx. pipiens biotype molestus, the autogenous member of the Cx. pipiens species complex, after the exposure of 3rd–4th instar larvae to LC50 concentrations. The short-term (24 h) larvicidal treatment with the sublethal concentrations of both tested materials exhibited an acute lethal effect on the exposed larvae as well as significant delayed mortality for surviving larvae and pupae. Larvicidal treatment with carvacrol reduced the longevity of the emerged males. In addition, the morphological abnormalities that were observed at the larval and pupal stage along with failed adult emergence indicate the potential growth inhibitory properties of the tested bioinsecticides. Our findings suggest that carvacrol and carvacrol-rich oregano oil are effective plant-based larvicides at doses lower than the acute lethal ones, thus promoting an environmentally friendly and more affordable perspective for their use against the WNV vector Cx. pipiens biotype molestus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Urban Pest Management in Europe)
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9 pages, 762 KiB  
Article
Efficacy Evaluation of Oregano Essential Oil Mixed with Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis and Diflubenzuron against Culex pipiens and Aedes albopictus in Road Drains of Italy
by Athanasios Giatropoulos, Romeo Bellini, Dionysios T. Pavlopoulos, George Balatsos, Vasileios Karras, Fotis Mourafetis, Dimitrios P. Papachristos, Filitsa Karamaouna, Marco Carrieri, Rodolfo Veronesi, Serkos A. Haroutounian and Antonios Michaelakis
Insects 2022, 13(11), 977; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13110977 - 25 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4587
Abstract
Mosquito management programs in the urban environment of Italian cities mainly rely on larval control with conventional insecticides, primarily targeting the road drains that constitute the principal mosquito breeding sites encountered in public. The repeated utilization of synthetic insecticides may have adverse effects [...] Read more.
Mosquito management programs in the urban environment of Italian cities mainly rely on larval control with conventional insecticides, primarily targeting the road drains that constitute the principal mosquito breeding sites encountered in public. The repeated utilization of synthetic insecticides may have adverse effects on non-targets and lead to resistance development issues, while the performance of biopesticides encounters limitations in field use. Botanical insecticides as single larval control agents or in binary mixtures with conventional insecticides have been extensively studied in the laboratory as an effective and eco-friendly alternative mosquito control method with promising results. The study herein concerns the investigation, for the first time under realistic conditions in the field, of the joint action of a carvacrol-rich oregano Essential Oil (EO) with two conventional insecticides, namely, the insect growth regulator diflubenzuron and the bio-insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (B.t.i.), in road drains in Crevalcore city, Italy, against Culex pipiens and Aedes albopictus. According to the obtained results, the application of both plain EO and its mixtures with diflubenzuron and B.t.i. exerted very high efficacy in terms of immature mosquito population reduction over a two-week period. Three weeks after treatment, the performance of the oil and its mixtures diminished but remained high, while the addition of diflubenzuron potentiated the persistent action of the oil against Cx. pipiens. These findings are indicative of the potential of mixing carvacrol-rich EO with diflubenzuron and B.t.i. as an efficient eco-friendly alternative to mono-insecticide applications in road drains against Cx. pipiens and Ae. albopictus larvae. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Urban Pest Management in Europe)
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20 pages, 3688 KiB  
Article
Identification and Spread of the Ghost Silverfish (Ctenolepisma calvum) among Museums and Homes in Europe
by Pascal Querner, Nikolaus Szucsich, Bill Landsberger, Sven Erlacher, Lukasz Trebicki, Michał Grabowski and Peter Brimblecombe
Insects 2022, 13(9), 855; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13090855 - 19 Sep 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 6409
Abstract
Ctenolepisma calvum was first described in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in 1910, and this island is probably the origin of this species. Later, it was also found in the Caribbean (Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago). Up until the present, it has only been identified [...] Read more.
Ctenolepisma calvum was first described in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in 1910, and this island is probably the origin of this species. Later, it was also found in the Caribbean (Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago). Up until the present, it has only been identified within buildings (a synanthropic species), and its natural habitat is unknown. In 2007, it was discovered in Germany and was considered a neobiotic species of Lepismatidae in Europe. It has rapidly spread throughout Europe and beyond in recent years. This led us to analyze the available data of the first occurrences in Germany, Austria, and other European countries. Furthermore, we compared the spread inside of museums in Vienna (Austria) and Berlin (Germany). These museums have been monitored for a long period with sticky traps, representing the best source of information on the dispersion dynamics of Ctenolepisma calvum. We found a scattered occurrence of this species in 18 countries in Europe (including Russia and Ukraine). The first record for Poland has not previously been published; however, this species has been present there since 2014. Surprisingly, it was found in Hungary in 2003, but a record was only published online in 2021. Additionally, in Germany and Austria, where most data are available, the spread of the species does not follow any clear pattern. In museums in Berlin, the species has only been found in one location. In contrast, the species rapidly spread in museums in Vienna between 2014 and 2021, from four to 30 locations, and it is now a well-established species with occasional high abundance. We examined the spread of the species at three spatial scales: (i) Europe, (ii) national, and (iii) regional. Our observations indicate that it is possibly distributed with materials (packaging material, hygiene articles, paper, cardboard, and collection items). Little is yet known about the biology of this introduced pest. We describe its preferred habitat within buildings, its climate requirements, and its potential to act as a new museum pest in Central Europe. This species seems to thrive at room temperature in buildings. Further impact on the species due to climate change in the future is also discussed. We offer a simple morphological key and a detailed identification table to help correct species identification. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Urban Pest Management in Europe)
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