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Topic Review
Chitosan as a Control Tool for Insect Pest
Chitosan is a biopolymer derived from chitin that gained much attention due to its biological activities. Chitosan can be produced by the exoskeleton of arthropods (crustaceans and insects) and structural membranes and spores of fungi. Its application has spread to many sectors, including pharmaceutical, medical, veterinary, food and agricultural. In the latter one, chitosan is applied to improve the interaction between plants and microorganisms and metabolisms of plants, fruits and germination. In addition, chitosan is demonstrated to enhance the availability and stabilization of insecticides and essential oils. Several chitosan formulations were studied as tools for insect pest control.
  • 194
  • 18 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Climatic Consequences on Bactrocera oleae
Worldwide, the exclusive key insect pest of the olive tree is the tephritid fly Bactrocera oleae. Bactrocera oleae is a monophagous pest on the genus Olea that causes direct damage to olive yield since its larval stages feed on drupe pulp. It causes serious economic losses that have been estimated at more than USD 1 billion per year in the Mediterranean alone. In this area, B. oleae can complete several generations that vary from one to four depending on temperature and area characteristics (e.g., elevation, distance to sea). Among the environmental factors, temperature is the key parameter influencing B. oleae phenology and the relation with O. europaea. High temperatures in summer induce B. oleae mortality and slowdown on pest activity, since adult physiological processes cease at 35 °C. However, other patterns such as weather conditions, season extension and crop–pest synchrony impact temporal changes in pest abundance. The tight relation that links B. oleae to Olea species makes this system a proper scenario for studying the climatic change in the Mediterranean Basin. 
  • 638
  • 08 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Coffee Berry Borer (Hypothenemus hampei)
Coffee berry borer (CBB) is the most serious insect pest of coffee worldwide, causing more than US$500M in damages annually. Reduction in the yield and quality of coffee results from the adult female CBB boring into the coffee fruit and building galleries for reproduction, followed by larval feeding on the bean itself.
  • 1.7K
  • 23 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Concepts, Procedures and Techniques by Forensic Entomologists
Forensic entomology is a branch of forensic science that incorporates insects as a part of solving crime. Insect-based evidence recovered at a crime scene can be used to estimate the minimum postmortem interval, determine if a carcass/corpse has been relocated, and contribute to the cause and manner of death. Sampling and preservation of insect material is paramount if this evidence is presented in court.  To this end, a qualified forensic entomologist should attend the crime scene, however this is not always the case and such evidence is collected and preserved by a proxy.  After reading this paper and following a number of essential protocols, a proxy should be able to submit insect evidence that a forensic entomologist may be able to use and present a best estimate of the time since death.
  • 1.1K
  • 19 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Cytochrome c oxidase in Insects
Flight dispersal represents a key aspect of the evolutionary and ecological success of insects, allowing escape from predators, mating, and colonization of new niches. The huge energy demand posed by flight activity is essentially met by oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in flight muscle mitochondria. In insects, mitochondrial ATP supply and oxidant production are regulated by several factors, including the energy demand exerted by changes in adenylate balance. Indeed, adenylate directly regulates OXPHOS by targeting both chemiosmotic ATP production and the activities of specific mitochondrial enzymes. In several organisms, cytochrome c oxidase (COX) is regulated at transcriptional, post-translational, and allosteric levels, impacting mitochondrial energy metabolism, and redox balance.
  • 1.2K
  • 10 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Deforestation, Urbanization, and Mosquito and Tick-Borne Diseases
Central America is a unique geographical region that connects North and South America, enclosed by the Caribbean Sea to the East, and the Pacific Ocean to the West. This region, encompassing Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and Nicaragua, is highly vulnerable to the emergence or resurgence of mosquito-borne and tick-borne diseases due to a combination of key ecological and socioeconomic determinants acting together, often in a synergistic fashion. Of particular interest are the effects of land use changes, such as deforestation-driven urbanization and forest degradation, on the incidence and prevalence of these diseases, which are not well understood. In recent years, parts of Central America have experienced social and economic improvements; however, the region still faces major challenges in developing effective strategies and significant investments in public health infrastructure to prevent and control these diseases.
  • 532
  • 29 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Dynamic Roles of Insect Carboxyl/Cholinesterases in Chemical Adaptation
Carboxyl/cholinesterases (CCEs) represent a family of enzymes distributed in many organisms, including insects. Despite their relatively simple catalyzed hydrolysis reaction, CCEs facilitate insects’ adaptation to chemical signals and stressors from the environment through various trajectories, including developing pesticide resistance, facilitating the adaptation of insects to their host plants, and manipulating insect behaviors. The CCE-mediated mechanisms of pesticide resistance to organophosphate, carbamate, or pyrethroid pesticides comprise enhanced metabolism, the sequestration of pesticides to prevent them from reaching their target sites, or conformational changes in target sites to prevent pesticides from binding. In addition, CCEs aid in the adaptation to chemical signals through the olfactory system by degrading insect semiochemicals.
  • 302
  • 15 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Electrical Trap-and-Kill Fly Traps Using Electrified Insulated Conductors
Electrostatic insect exclusion is a physical approach to pest control in which an apparatus forming an electric field (EF) is applied to capture pests. The EF producer consisted of a negatively charged polyvinyl chloride membrane-insulated iron plate (N-PIP) and a non-insulated grounded iron plate (GIP) paralleled with the N-PIP. An EF was formed in the space between the plates. The magnitude of electric current from the fly was voltage-dependent, and detrimental effects caused by electricity release became more apparent as the applied voltage increased. Bioelectrical measurements showed that electric current caused acute damage and delayed the death of captured flies. 
  • 998
  • 19 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Entomopathogenic Fungi
Numerous fungal microorganisms are pathogenic for many insect and nematode species and are able to control the natural populations of these by limiting their spread. There are more than one thousand species that infect and parasitize insects. Entomopathogenic Hypocreales are opportunistic pathogens highly adapted to infect insects and mites as a result of adaptations developed over time, such as the ability to overcome the host’s immune system defenses and the production of cuticular enzymes and degrading substances. They are globally and widely distributed in nature, ubiquitous across all environmental matrices, and can be easily grown in mass.
  • 1.4K
  • 09 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Entompathogen Wasps
Parasitoid wasps inject eggs into the host insect along with several factors that modulate the immune response, in addition these molecular structures and compounds, present at the surface of the gamete, contribute to the evasive and depressive strategies of the parasitoid by facilitating the development of eggs and larvae within the host body.
  • 1.4K
  • 09 Nov 2020
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