The diverse enzymatic targets of the essential oils of Ilex purpurea and Cymbopogon martini and the major components potentially mitigated the resistance development in tick Haemaphysalis longicornis.

The long-term use of chemical acaricides not only pollutes the environment, but also easily causes tick resistance. Plant essential oils, a kind of secondary metabolites in plants, are an important way to develop new modern pesticides. The study analyzed the acaricidal activity and molecular mechanisms of Ilex purpurea EO and Cymbopogon martini EO on Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) unfed ticks.

Sustainable management of potato tuber moth in storages using entomopathogenic fungi and an ectoparasitic mite.

Background: The potato tuber moth (PTM), Phthorimaea operculella, is an economically important pest of potato crops worldwide. So far, the application of chemical pesticides is the major measure to manage PTM, but it induces serious deleterious impacts on the environment and human health. Here, we screened the entomopathogenic fungi that are lethal to PTM, and tested their sublethal impacts on PTM development, mortality, and reproduction as well as that of ectoparasitic mite Pyemotes zhonghuajia, a natural enemy of PTM.