Larval performance of Zophobas morio (F.) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) on various diets enriched with post-distillation residues and essential oils of aromatic and medicinal plants.

The increasing demands for resources driven by the global population necessitate exploring sustainable alternatives for affordable animal protein over the use of traditional protein sources. Insects, with their high protein content, offer a promising solution, especially when reared on agricultural post-distillation residues for enhanced sustainability and cost-effectiveness. We assessed the development of Zophobas morio (F.

Age- and Density-Dependent Parasitism Rate and Development Time of the Generalist Egg-Parasitoid (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) on Eggs of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, .

(Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an invasive pest species that was imported into Greece in 2011 and since then, has caused severe qualitative and quantitative damage to economically important crops. Its management relies mainly on the use of broad-spectrum insecticides, with little to no information available concerning the potential use of native parasitoids in terms of classical biological control. Our study aimed to assess the parasitism rate and development time of the gregarious egg parasitoid (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) on egg-masses, depending on several factors such as: (i) age of parasitoids, (ii) density of parasitoids, (iii) age of host eggs, and (iv) oviposition experience of parasitoids.

Effect of Entomopathogenic Fungi to Eggs and Nymphs Survival of Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Under Laboratory Conditions.

Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is becoming a major pest of Greece's agricultural production, including tree fruit. Until now, the control of this pest has been based on conventional methods, with the application of chemical insecticides being the primary option. However, the wide distribution of H.

Breeding Substrate Containing Distillation Residues of Mediterranean Medicinal Aromatic Plants Modulates the Effects of as Fishmeal Substitute on Blood Signal Transduction and WBC Activation of Gilthead Seabream ().

This work assesses the dietary use of two insect meals of (TM) larvae reared in conventional (TM-10) or MAP-enriched substrates (MAP-TM-10) as fish meal replacements (10%) in the diets of gilthead seabream (). Fish ( = 4500; 207.19 ± 1.

Analyzing On-Farm Spatiotemporal Distribution of (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Populations from a Precision Agriculture Perspective.

The brown marmorated stink bug, Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is native to Japan, China, Taiwan, and Korea. Its dispersion from Asia to the United States of America and Europe caused serious damage to fruit, vegetables, and high-value crops. In Greece, damages are reported in kiwi orchards in the regions of Pieria and Imathia, which are the main production areas of kiwifruit.

Females of (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Experience a Facultative Reproductive Diapause in Northern Greece.

(Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is a native pest of East Asia that overwinters as an adult in natural and human-made structures. Adult emergence from overwintering sites starts in spring, whereas females produce offspring in early summer on host plants, where most feeding occurs. In this study, we investigated the reproductive physiology of overwintering females of in Northern Greece, by determining the duration of the preoviposition period and fecundity of individuals that were left to overwinter in natural conditions and were subsequently transferred to chambers with standard conditions monthly, from December 2020 to March 2021.

Carob () as Functional Feed Is Beneficial in Yellow Mealworm () Rearing: Evidence from Growth, Antioxidant Status and Cellular Responses.

In terms of sustainability and circular economy, agricultural by-products may be efficiently reused in insects' rearing for high-quality protein sources in human diet and animal feeds. The present study aimed to explore whether the utilization of carob pods as feeding substrate may beneficially affect 's growth, nutritional value, antioxidant status and cellular responses. Increasing levels of milled whole carob pods (0, 25, 50, 75, 100%) were used as alternative wheat bran (control) substrates for yellow mealworm rearing, while growth performance, proximate composition, total phenolic content, antioxidant enzyme activity and the expression of stress- and apoptotic-related proteins were evaluated in larvae.

Reactive Oxygen Species Initiate Defence Responses of Potato Photosystem II to Sap-Sucking Insect Feeding.

Potato, L., one of the most commonly cultivated horticultural crops throughout the world, is susceptible to a variety of herbivory insects. In the present study, we evaluated the consequence of feeding by the sap-sucking insect on potato leaf photosynthetic efficiency.

Towards Functional Insect Feeds: Agri-Food By-Products Enriched with Post-Distillation Residues of Medicinal Aromatic Plants in (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) Breeding.

Sustainability, circular economy and alternative production systems are urgent imperatives for humanity and animal husbandry. Unless wasted, agri-food by-products can offer a promising source of high value. We evaluated the effect of rice bran (RB), corncob (CC), potato peels (PP), solid biogas residues (BR), and olive-oil processing residuals (OR), as alternative substrates to wheat bran (WB as control), on the growth and nutritional value of during its breeding for animal feeds and/or human consumption.

First Report of Native Parasitoids of (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in Greece.

(Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an endemic species of East Asia; it was introduced into Europe in 2007. It has a wide range of hosts as it feeds on over 170 host plant species and significantly impacts crop production. In Greece, causes significant losses in the production of kiwi, peaches, and green beans; thus, control of this species (including biological control) is essential.

Composition, seasonal abundance, and public health importance of mosquito species in the regional unit of Thessaloniki, Northern Greece.

Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) are the largest group of blood-feeding insects that disturb not only humans but also other mammals and birds. This study reports the presence of native mosquito species in the regional unit of Thessaloniki and the monitoring of their population. In total, 13 mosquito species belonging to four genera were identified.

Effect of Temperature on Biological Parameters of the West Nile Virus Vector Culex pipiens form 'molestus' (Diptera: Culicidae) in Greece: Constant vs Fluctuating Temperatures.

Studying the biology of Culex species is crucial to understanding their role in arbovirus transmission and for the development of efficient control strategies. Assessments of survival, development, adult longevity, fecundity and egg hatching of Culex pipiens form 'molestus' (Forsskål), were conducted, under nine constant and fluctuating temperatures ranging from 15 to 35 ± 0.5°C.

Attraction, Oviposition and Larval Survival of the Fungus Gnat, Lycoriella ingenua, on Fungal Species Isolated from Adults, Larvae, and Mushroom Compost.

We previously showed that the females of the mushroom sciarid, Lycoriella ingenua (Dufour, 1839) (Diptera: Sciaridae), one of the most severe pests of the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus (J.E. Lange) Emil J.

Interaction of Visual and Chemical CUES in Promoting Attraction of Agrilus planipennis.

Female emerald ash borers, Agrilus planipennis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), emit a macrocyclic lactone, (Z)-3-dodecen-12-olide, that increases field trap captures on large-panel prism traps when co-emitted with the green leaf volatile (Z)-3-hexenol. We assessed attraction to these compounds by using visual decoy-baited branch traps, which attract males by mimicking a living female resting upon a leaf. Pairs of branch traps, with and without visual decoy beetles, were placed on green ash, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, trees, which were assigned different odor treatments: 1) no odor, 2) (Z)-3-hexenol alone, and 3) (Z)-3-hexenol-plus-lactone.

Isolation of a Female-Emitted Sex Pheromone Component of the Fungus Gnat, Lycoriella ingenua, Attractive to Males.

Lycoriella ingenua Dufour (Diptera: Sciaridae) is acknowledged as the major pest species of the white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, throughout the world. Components of the female-produced sex pheromone of this species were identified previously as C15-C18 n-alkanes, with the major component n-heptadecane, and shown to be attractive to L. mali.

Impact of fluctuating temperatures on development of the koinobiont endoparasitoid Venturia canescens.

The effect of temperature on the biology of Venturia canescens (Gravenhorst) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) is well understood under constant temperature conditions, but less so under more natural, fluctuating conditions. Herein we studied the influence of fluctuating temperatures on biological parameters of V. canescens.

Factors influencing supercooling capacity of the koinobiont endoparasitoid Venturia canescens (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae).

Background: Venturia canescens is a parthenogenetic koinobiont endoparasitoid of several pyralid moth larvae that are major pests of stored products. Low temperatures have been extensively used to control stored-product insects as an alternative to the application of traditional pesticides. However, most studies have focused on the cold hardiness profile of the major stored-product pests.