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While many insects have evolved mechanisms to ensure the faithful transmission of bacterial symbionts across generations, the majority of insects lack such mechanisms. Instead, many insects must acquire symbionts from their local environments. Without mechanisms for vertical transmission, insects are thought to be at risk of experiencing low fitness by acquiring low-quality symbiont strains. For example, insects dependent on environmental symbiont transmission may acquire nonsymbiotic bacteria or symbionts that are adapted to other co-localized hosts. Yet, insects often appear capable of interacting with a wide variety of symbiont strains, and environmental transmission is prevalent across diverse insect species. Therefore, it remains unclear whether the evolutionary history of a symbiont actually impacts its benefit to hosts. Here, we test whether the recent evolutionary history of a symbiont impacts its quality to an insect host by inoculating Anasa tristis De Geer (Hemiptera: Coreidae) insects with Burkholderiaceae strains isolated from a conspecific host, a distantly related heterospecific host, and from soil. We find that the soil strain offers few fitness benefits. In contrast, both strains with a recent history of host association support insect survival to adulthood, but the greatest benefits emerge from the symbiont isolated from a conspecific host, which also improves insect development rates. Overall, our study demonstrates that the evolutionary history of a symbiont may impact its quality to insect hosts and lays a foundation for future work to further examine whether environmental transmission carries costs for insect hosts.

Anthropogenic climate change has a major impact on herbivorous insect outbreaks. Altered temperature regimes can directly affect insect population demography by altering insect traits through both ecological and evolutionary mechanisms, as well as indirectly affecting population dynamics through biotic interactions. However, the eco-evolutionary processes in insect population-level dynamics that regulate outbreaks are not well understood, and how climate change alters these processes has remain poorly explored. In this review, we summarize how climate change affects the outbreaks of herbivorous insect through ecological and evolutionary effects on insect traits and trophic interactions among herbivorous insects, their host plants and their natural enemies. We propose that climate-driven changes in insect traits increase outbreak frequency and magnitude, thereby generating eco-evolutionary feedback. Specifically, outbreaks themselves may shift the mode of outbreaks rather than simply increasing their frequency. Recognizing this process is essential for forecasting future outbreaks and developing management strategies that consider changes in the evolutionary potential of outbreak populations.

The world population is projected to reach nearly 9.7 billion by 2050, significantly increasing the demand for novel and sustainable protein sources. Edible insects, such as Tenebrio molitor, emerge as promising alternatives due to their high nutritional value, but adult insects and frass are direct and abundant by-products of this industry. This study aimed to valorize insect by-products through solid-state fermentation (SSF) to produce chitinases and proteases with high industrial value. Various fungi were tested in SSF, with Phanerochaete chrysosporium CECT 2777 and Aspergillus uvarum MUM 08.01 standing out as the most efficient protease producers, while Aspergillus niger CECT 2088 showed higher chitinolytic activity. Maximum chitinase (53.3 U g-1) and protease (366 U g-1) production was achieved on the 11th and 9th day of SSF of frass and adult insects, respectively, allowing the optimization of fermentation time. Increasing the solid load in SSF up to 50 g dry weight (DW) of frass did not decrease chitinase production (47.8 U g-1) compared to using 10 g DW, while protease activity decreased 70% and 44% when the quantity of adult insects increased up to 50 g DW and 100 g DW, respectively. This work is pioneering in demonstrating the great potential of reusing Tenebrio molitor by-products to obtain value-added chitinases and proteases through SSF, contributing to reducing waste accumulation of insect origin and promoting the development of a circular economy. © 2026 The Author(s). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

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Ubiquitination is an essential posttranslational modification in eukaryotes, which plays a fundamental role in numerous important biological functions. However, the role of ubiquitination in the evolution of adaptive traits in insects remains poorly understood. Here, we reveal the role of ubiquitination in insecticide resistance and its associated fitness cost in the whitefly pest, Bemisia tabaci. We identify the RING-type E3 ubiquitin ligase TRIM37 in B. tabaci and show its promotion of ubiquitination in vivo and in vitro. We further demonstrate that this ligase binds to other ubiquitin enzymes as part of the E1-1/E2-3/TRIM37 ubiquitination cascade, negatively regulating the transcription factor CREB by marking it for degradation. CREB, in turn, positively regulates the insecticide resistance gene CYP6CM1 while negatively regulating the key oogenesis gene Vasa. Downregulation of TRIM37 in neonicotinoid-resistant B. tabaci strains enhances insecticide detoxification via CYP6CM1 upregulation, but concurrently incurs a reproductive fitness cost due to downstream Vasa suppression. Our findings advance understanding of the insect ubiquitination system and its role in adaptive processes, while offering insights for sustainable pest control strategies.

The continued growth of the global population has increased the need for alternative food sources to reduce food insecurity. Entomophagy has emerged as a promising option due to the high reproductive rate, productivity, and efficient feed conversion of insects. This study evaluated five insect species with potential for human consumption, focusing on their nutritional composition, including macronutrients, fatty acids, minerals, bioactive compounds (carotenoids and phenolics), amino acid profiles, antioxidant activity, and technological properties. All species showed high protein contents, ranging from 50.87 g 100 g-1 in Zophobas morio to 60.30 g 100 g-1 in Gryllus assimilis, with protein digestibility varying from 26.2% to 81.7%. Lipid contents ranged from 19.01 to 37.97 g 100 g-1, with G. assimilis presenting a high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids (68.18%). Essential minerals, including iron, copper, potassium, and sodium, were detected in all samples. All insect species exhibited antioxidant activity, which was influenced by amino acid and bioactive compound profiles. The amino acid analysis revealed a high diversity of essential and non-essential amino acids, particularly in Z. morio and Hermetia illucens, which presented the widest range of essential amino acids. G. assimilis exhibited the highest phenolic content, whereas Bombyx mori showed the highest carotenoid levels. In addition to their nutritional value, insect flours demonstrated promising technological properties, such as water and oil absorption, emulsification, foam formation, and thermal stability. These findings highlight the potential of insect-derived ingredients as sustainable and functional alternatives for enriching processed foods and improving their nutritional and functional profiles.

In the pursuit of novel insecticidal agents, a series of new thieno-[2,3-b]-quinoline derivatives were synthesized via efficient and versatile routes, starting from ethyl 3-aminothieno-[2,3-b]-quinoline-2-carboxylate. The synthesized compounds including hydrazone (8a-c), arylidene (9a-c), and pyrano-[3,2-c]-thieno-[2,3-b]-quinoline (10a-c) derivatives were characterized using FT-IR, NMR, and mass spectrometry. Their insecticidal efficacy was evaluated against both nymph and adult stages of Aphis fabae, with median lethal concentration (LC50) values determined through probit analysis. Compound 10b exhibited the highest potency, with LC50 values of 0.117 mg/L (nymphs) and 0.366 mg/L (adults), approaching the activity of the commercial insecticide acetamiprid. Molecular docking studies against the Aplysia californica acetylcholine-binding protein (AChBP, PDB: 3SQ6), a surrogate for insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, revealed strong binding affinities for the pyranothienoquinoline derivatives, particularly 10b (-7.30 kcal/mol), supported by multiple hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions with key residues. These findings underscore the potential of the pyrano-[3,2-c]-thieno-[2,3-b]-quinoline scaffold as a promising candidate for the development of new, target-specific insecticides.

Agricultural intensification has led to many environmentally degrading practices that can cause insect biodiversity loss and a decline in ecosystem services. Local management practices and more complex landscapes can help mitigate these negative effects. The intermediate landscape complexity hypothesis suggests that local management best supports insect biodiversity in landscapes of intermediate complexity, which contain both agricultural and natural habitats. However, recent studies have also shown higher biodiversity in both simple and complex landscapes. In this review, we investigated whether certain local practices are more effective across a range of landscape complexity. Our results showed that local management or landscape complexity increases insect biodiversity or ecosystem services in about 25% of cases. We found support for the intermediate landscape complexity hypothesis in some scenarios and positive effects of local management in simple and complex landscapes in others. Future studies should more clearly define how they measure landscape complexity, which will help compare results and find patterns. These findings can begin to inform tailored local management and research directions to maximize insect biodiversity and ecosystem services in different landscape contexts.

Automated image-based identification of adult insects is increasingly critical to biodiversity monitoring, pest management, and vector surveillance, yet practical deployment remains limited by data scarcity, field variability, and fine-grained taxonomic challenges. We conducted a PRISMA-guided literature review of computer-vision methods for insect classification and identification. A Web of Science Core Collection search (31 August 2024) retrieved 930 records; after deduplication (n = 2) and screening, 230 articles underwent full-text quality assessment using weighted criteria for taxonomy/methods, image capture, computational technique, sample size, and performance evaluation. Of these, 111 high-quality studies met inclusion thresholds. Data were extracted on taxonomic coverage, optical devices and experimental settings, algorithms and pipelines, datasets, and outcome metrics. Deep learning dominated the field; You Only Look Once variants were common for detection and ResNet/EfficientNet/MobileNet for classification; occasional hybrids combined Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) features with traditional classifiers. CNN-based and 1-stage detectors outperformed hand-crafted pipelines; transformers and self-supervised pre-training showed promise with limited labels. Despite strong laboratory performance, generalization to field conditions was hindered by illumination, occlusion, and pose variability. Public datasets were scarce and geographically skewed, limiting reproducibility and equitable benchmarking. Taxonomic coverage concentrated on Lepidoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, and Coleoptera. We recommend advancing the field through comprehensive reporting beyond overall accuracy, the design of lifecycle-aware and domain-adapted models validated under field conditions, the establishment of diverse benchmarks with standardized imaging protocols, and the development of interpretable architectures suitable for deployment in embedded trapping systems.

Current global estimates are that 40% of food produced for human consumption is being wasted, amounting to 2.5 billion tonnes of food waste each year. The UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 aims to respond to this by 2030. In addition, Aotearoa-New Zealand is equally under pressure to minimise food waste and greenhouse gas emissions and has committed to its own Emissions Reduction Plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Insect bioconversion has emerged as a promising, novel and sustainable strategy for upcycling large amounts of organic waste into added-value products such as feed for livestock, industrial compounds including biofuel and chitin, and soil amendments/fertilisers for improving soil quality and productivity. This review explores the research landscape and commercial potential of insect bioconversion in Aotearoa-New Zealand, focusing on the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L.; BSF)-a tropical species renowned for its efficiency in bioconversion and its nutrient-rich larvae. We examine current research efforts to valorise agricultural and food waste streams in Aotearoa-New Zealand, assess the economic viability and energy requirements of insect bioconversion in temperate climates, compare its environmental footprint against conventional animal feed production, identify key scientific and technological challenges, and discuss regulatory, infrastructural, and market barriers that must be overcome to establish a viable BSF-based bioconversion industry. By highlighting knowledge gaps, this review also aims to inform future research directions and policy frameworks that could support circular bioeconomy transitions in Aotearoa-New Zealand and beyond.

Although insects are fundamental to understanding and conserving global biodiversity, they are vastly understudied. Here, we present a national inventory of Costa Rican insects based upon 3.78 million DNA barcodes representing 152 891 Barcode Index Numbers (BINs, proxies for species) from 28 localities sampled from 2017 to 2023 through the national BioAlfa program of Costa Rica. Although only 3.6% of BINs are linked to Linnean species, barcode-based community analyses revealed strong, consistent ecogeographic structure. Clustering of BIN data using bootstrapped Jaccard distances revealed seven distinct mainland assemblages and a distinct island cluster, shaped primarily by Costa Rica's mountain ranges, elevation, and slope orientation. Separate analyses for Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera coupled with analyses focused on some of their largest families (e.g., Braconidae, Cecidomyiidae, Cicadellidae, Erebidae, and Staphylinidae) confirmed these patterns and further revealed extremely high species turnover with most BINs being exclusive to a single region or locality. Our results reveal limited overlap of insect communities across ecosystems, implying that each life zone harbors unique taxonomic assemblages. Large-scale DNA barcoding has detected fine-grained spatial structure, providing a genomic framework for biodiversity monitoring and conservation in diverse tropical regions undergoing rapid environmental change.

In invasion biology, geospatial data are fundamental for analyzing invasion dynamics. Focusing on invasive alien insect species (IAIS) dispersal, this study assesses the role and reuse potential of published geospatial data via a bibliometric analysis of literature from 2016 to 2026. By examining all IAIS-related publications, we found 1032 articles (59.0% of the total) that presented geospatial data in thematic maps, forming a substantial repository. We analyzed these publications across four dimensions-visual representation, spatial scale, data reuse, and data accessibility-revealing point-based data (80.1%) as most common, regional-scale analysis (54.9%) predominant, high adoption of geospatial data reuse (74.7%), and a majority (51.0%) lacking downloadable source data. To evaluate data reuse value, we explored integrating datasets across regions, time periods, and species. Such integration can overcome limitations of individual studies, often with constrained spatial coverage, short temporal scales, and narrow taxonomic focus. However, the significant absence of raw data in publications hinders the reuse of geospatial data. We therefore propose developing computational techniques to extract quantitative data directly from thematic map figures in publications. We addressed key challenges and potential solutions in the data extraction workflow, including georeferencing, thematic feature recognition, and thematic layer separation. We anticipate that overcoming these data extraction challenges will transform static map images into dynamic, computable knowledge, paving the way for data sharing and enhanced global IAIS monitoring and governance.

The grain aphid, Sitobion avenae Fabricius (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a vector of yellow dwarf viruses and an important pest of cereals. In a European context, it is the only cereal aphid known to have developed knockdown resistance (kdr). In this study, we genetically screened key regions of the voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) known to harbour resistance-conferring mutations. Specimens were sampled across multiple locations and years in Ireland, enabling detection of individuals carrying the L1014F mutation and screening for additional mutations, including those associated with super-kdr. The frequency of the L1014F substitution in samples from Irish suction towers is consistent with frequencies reported in other studies from Ireland and the UK, and we found no strong evidence of an increase in kdr frequency despite the greater reliance on pyrethroids. Importantly, the analysis identified two additional VGSC substitutions corresponding to M918L and L932F, which have been implicated in reduced pyrethroid sensitivity in other insect species. This is the first report globally of these mutations in S. avenae. We identified a super-kdr variant (M918L) and an L932F variant in the grain aphid S. avenae. Because these were detected in archived samples, their impact on in-field resistance in this species is currently unknown; however, based on observations in other aphid species, including cereal aphids, they likely influence resistance phenotypes. Regular monitoring of the incidence and spread of known and emerging insecticide-resistant clonal lineages is essential to preserve the effectiveness of our limited insecticide arsenal and to determine when field efficacy may be insufficient for pest control. © 2026 The Author(s). Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Enhancing the insecticidal efficacy of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins by suppressing the immune responses of target insects can simultaneously augment the effectiveness of Bt-based products and address the growing issue of resistance. Our previous studies found that the inhibition of calcineurin (CaN) activity can enhance the toxicity of Cry1Ac, a Bt toxin, against Helicoverpa armigera, and that CaN regulates the expression of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in response to external pathogen invasion through the transcription factor Relish in H. armigera. Our objective was to investigate the regulatory relationship between AMPs expression and susceptibility to Cry1Ac. Our findings demonstrated that the transcription factors Relish and Dorsal mediate the CaN-induced upregulation of attacin expression, while attacin itself interacts with Cry1Ac to reduce its toxicity against H. armigera. Furthermore, Cry1Ac treatment results in elevated levels of 20E in H. armigera, partly triggering an increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration, which in turn activates CaN. These findings contribute to the robust body of evidence that insects can elicit immune defenses as an adaptive mechanism against Bt toxins, and also offer a potential strategy for improving pest control effectiveness in agricultural settings.

Geminiviruses are among the most threatening emerging insect-borne viruses and are responsible for serious outbreaks worldwide. Climate change (i.e. higher temperatures) could further exacerbate their impact on crops, highlighting the need for new diagnostic approaches to manage potentially dangerous situations. vector-enabled metagenomics (VEM) exploits the natural ability of highly mobile insects to accumulate viruses acquired from plants over time and space within an ecosystem; this approach is effective for monitoring the presence of new invasive or indigenous viruses in large areas. Geminiviruses have circular ssDNA genomes that can be readily targeted by rolling circle amplification (RCA). The combination of RCA and VEM largely increases the chances of detecting geminiviruses. This approach enabled us to identify the becurtovirus beet curly top Iran virus (BCTIV, Becurtovirus betae) in insects collected in Europe. BCTIV is a major pathogen of sugar beet but can also infect plants of other families; it is transmitted by cicadellids and has so far been detected only in Iran and Anatolia (Turkey). We also show that two cucurbit species, watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) and zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) are both natural and experimental hosts for BCTIV.

Reproductive microbiota is known to modulate host immunity, reproductive physiology, and longevity, yet their interactions with host genetics, sex, and mating status remain relatively underexplored in most insects. Some studies suggest that species (and even populations) can vary in the microbial communities associated with their reproductive tissues. Sexually transmitted microbes can also directly influence population growth and reproductive fitness, making them relevant even for applied insect management strategies. The economically relevant, Black Soldier Fly (BSF; Hermetia illucens), is known for its applications in organic waste management and sustainable food production. Despite several papers on the larval gut microbiota, there is no study (to date) that explores the reproductive microbiota of adults. This study characterizes the reproductive microbial communities of eight genetically distinct BSF populations using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The results revealed striking, sex-specific microbial signatures within reproductive tissues, dynamically shaped by mating. Virgin females harboured diverse and functionally intriguing taxa, including Staphylococcus, Brevibacterium, and Corynebacterium, which likely supported ovarian maturation and reproductive readiness. Remarkably, mating triggered a dramatic shift, with unclassified Enterococcaceae emerging as the dominant taxon in mated females, suggesting selective microbial retention or transmission with potential implications for post-mating longevity. In contrast, although mated males showed enrichment of Rhodococcus_C_375578, their overall microbiota composition remained comparatively stable pre- and post-mating. Most notably, the genetic lineage significantly influenced the magnitude of sex- and mating-related bacterial shifts in reproductive microbiota. These novel findings advance the understanding of the complex dynamics of reproductive microbiota in insects and provide a foundation for optimizing breeding strategies and colony management in commercial BSF production systems.

Exogenously applied nucleic acid-based agents are emerging as a promising strategy in agriculture for highly selective crop protection and plant trait modulation; however, their practical deployment remains constrained by inefficient delivery, rapid environmental degradation, and poor robustness under field conditions. Lipid-based nanocarriers, long established in pharmaceutical science as non-viral delivery systems, offer a versatile platform to address these challenges but require substantial adaptation to function effectively in both plants and open-environment agricultural conditions. This review critically examines lipid-based nanocarrier platforms, including liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, and oil-in-water nanoemulsions, for nucleic acid delivery in plant systems. Fundamental differences between mammalian and plant biology, such as the presence of the cell wall, apoplastic transport pathways, extracellular nucleases, and continuous exposure to environmental stressors represent key determinants of nanocarrier performance. Drawing on principles from nanomedicine, we analyse how nanocarrier size, surface chemistry, charge regulation, and deformability govern transport across major plant barriers, including mucilage layers, cuticles, cell walls, and intracellular membranes. Beyond direct plant delivery, the review also highlights the growing use of lipid-based nanocarriers in plant protection, summarizing applications targeting fungal pathogens, bacterial and viral diseases, nematodes, and insect pests. By integrating pharmaceutical nanotechnology concepts with agricultural constraints, this review highlights both the opportunities and limitations of lipid-based nanocarriers for nucleic acid-enabled crop technologies.

Juvenile hormone (JH) is vital to insects. In Drosophila, JH signals through a basic helix-loop-helix-PER-ARNT-SIM (bHLH-PAS) protein methoprene-tolerant (MET) and its paralog germ cell-expressed (GCE). Binding of JH to the PAS-B domain of MET or GCE triggers the assembly of a DNA-bound, transcriptionally active JH receptor (JHR) heterodimer comprising either MET or GCE and their partner taiman (TAI). Molecular mechanisms of the JHR complex activation remain unclear. Here, we use the Drosophila GCE protein to address the presumably critical but as yet unexplored function of the other PAS domain (PAS-A) in JHR signaling. We show that charged amino acid residues, highly conserved within the PAS-A domain across insect and mammalian bHLH-PAS proteins, are required for JHR signaling in vitro and in vivo. Mutations at these sites do not affect the ability of GCE to bind JH to its PAS-B domain. However, they compromise the JH-induced nuclear import of GCE, its dissociation from the chaperone heat-shock protein HSP83, and dimerization with TAI, consequently preventing the DNA binding and transcriptional JHR activities. Functionality of the mutated GCE variants in developing flies is also impaired. Molecular modeling suggests that mutations of the charged GCE PAS-A residues alter the natural salt bridges critical for intra- and interdomain interactions. This in turn causes non-native configurations of both GCE PAS domains, making them incompatible with TAI dimerization and possibly augmenting GCE attachment to HSP83. These results suggest that JHR signaling critically depends on interactions between PAS-A and PAS-B domains which are allosterically coupled.

A new family, †Eotenthredinidae, including two new species, †Eotenthredo sinensis gen. et sp. nov. and †Eotenthredo magna sp. nov., is described, based on nine adult specimens from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation, ~125 Ma. As the oldest known crown tenthredinoids to date, †Eotenthredinidae exhibits a mosaic of plesiomorphic and derived traits, serving as a crucial transitional taxon linking stem and crown tenthredinoids. We conduct a morphology-based phylogenetic analysis of Tenthredinoidea incorporating the most extensive sampling of Mesozoic fossils to date. Our results support the monophyly of Tenthredinoidea, recover the †'Xyelotomidae' as a paraphyletic grade and place †Eotenthredinidae as the sister group to core tenthredinoids. Morphometric analyses of the mesothorax further support the intermediate position of †Eotenthredinidae. Combining lineage-through-time analyses of plants and statistical analysis of tenthredinoid fossils, we emphasize the deep-time evolutionary association between tenthredinoids and their host plants. This study provides critical paleontological evidence for clarifying the early evolutionary history of Tenthredinoidea and deepens our understanding of plant-insect co-evolution and ecosystem restructuring during the Cretaceous Terrestrial Revolution from the insect perspective.