Insect Special Issue "Natural Substances against Insect Pests: Assets and Liabilities"

At present, insect pests are largely controlled by synthetic pesticides. Although these are effective, their wide and heavy use has caused the rise of pest-resistant strains and negative effects on human health and on the environment, and their public acceptance is currently low. Since the Middle Ages, natural compounds have been employed for bactericidal, virucidal, fungicidal, parasiticidal and insecticidal applications. After a period of synthetic insecticides’ dominancy, in the last two decades, renewed efforts have been made to investigate the bioactivity of new natural substances (NSs) against a wide range of insect pests and parasites. Many NSs have been recognised as excellent adulticidal, larvicidal, ovicidal, growth and/or reproduction inhibitors, repellents and oviposition deterrents. However, even if they still represent one of the most promising possibilities to explore new eco-friendly solutions against insect pests, some liabilities affect their use. In fact, their use has to face issues around production, formulation, stability and costs. Moreover, how they act in many cases needs to be elucidated, because many of them show the same mode of action as many neurotoxic insecticides, and consequently, attention need also be focused on induced resistance. Based on the above, we would like to pursue these subjects through a Special Issue of the Insects journal under the title: “Natural Substances against Insect Pests: Assets and Liabilities”. In this regard, papers on the following indicative topics are more than welcome: NSs isolation, chemical characterization and biochemistry; NSs as insecticides, growth and/or reproduction inhibitors, repellents, oviposition deterrents, and attractives against harmful Insects; NSs’ mode of action and induced resistance in insects; Risks and benefits associated with the use of NSs; Reviews, regulatory and legislation issues related to the use of NSs.