Biological pest control is increasingly used in agriculture as a an alternative to traditional chemical pest control. In many cases, this involves a one-off or periodic release of naturally occurring and/or genetically modified enemies such as predators, parasitoids, or pathogens. As the interaction between these enemies and the pest is complex and the production of enemies potentially expensiv...

The spread of the exotic insect pest sycamore lace bug Corythucha ciliata (Say) is increasing worldwide. The identification of behaviorally active compounds is crucial for reducing the current distribution of this pest. In this study, we identified and documented the expression profiles of genes encoding chemosensory proteins (CSPs) in the sycamore lace bug to identify CSPs that bind to the ala...

Given the development of nanotechnology within numerous scientific disciplines, it is likely that nanoscale products have been and will be used for agricultural, vector, and urban pest control prior to a complete evaluation of exposure and risk. Significant differences may exist between nanotechnology-based pesticides (NBPs) and conventional pesticides, primarily due to size and surface charact...

W hich urban pest is the most difficult to control? Most PMPs say ants. But the answer to this question has shifted completely over the past 20 years — from cockroaches to ants. Today, few people consider the German cockroach a difficult pest to manage. What made the change is the invention of highly effective baits, in particular, gel baits. Then, the question is, why is the German cockroach s...

In October 2004 the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture celebrated 40 years of existence. The creation in October 1964 of this Division, which includes the Insect Pest Control Subprogramme, marked the beginning of what is certainly a unique and arguably the best example of inter-agency cooperation within the whole UN family. The goal was to join the talents and...

There is currently a great deal of concern about population declines in pollinating insects. Many potential threats have been identified which may adversely affect the behaviour and health of both honey bees and bumble bees: these include pesticide exposure, and parasites and pathogens. Whether biological pest control agents adversely affect bees has been much less well studied: it is generally...