Mosquito control programs are facing important and timely challenges, including the\ud recent outbreaks of novel arbovirus, the development of resistance in several Culicidae species,\ud and the rapid spreading of highly invasive mosquitoes worldwide. Current control tools mainly rely\ud on the employment of (i) synthetic or microbial pesticides, (ii) insecticide-treated bed nets, (iii) adult\ud repellents, (iv) biological control agents against mosquito young instars (mainly fishes, amphibians\ud and copepods) (v) Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), (vi) ‘‘boosted SIT”, (vii) symbiont-based methods\ud and (viii) transgenic mosquitoes. Currently, none of these single strategies is fully successful. Novel\ud eco-friendly strategies to manage mosquito vectors are urgently needed. The plant-mediated fabrication\ud of nanoparticles is advantageous over chemical and physical methods, since it is cheap,\ud single-step, and does not require high pressure, energy, temperature, or the use of highly toxic chemicals.\ud In the latest years, a growing number of plant-borne compounds have been proposed for efficient\ud and rapid extracellular synthesis of metal nanoparticles effective against mosquitoes at very\ud low doses (i.e. 1–30 ppm). In this review, we focused on the promising potential of greenfabricated\ud nanoparticles as toxic agents against mosquito young instars, and as adult oviposition\ud deterrents. Furthermore, we analyzed current evidences about non-target effects of these nanocomposites\ud used for mosquito control, pointing out their moderate acute toxicity for non-target aquatic\ud organisms, absence of genotoxicity at the doses tested against mosquitoes, and the possibility to\ud boost the predation rates of biological control agents against mosquitoes treating the aquatic environment\ud with ultra-low doses (e.g. 1–3 ppm) of green-synthesized nanoparticles, which reduce the\ud motility of mosquito larvae. Challenges for future research should shed light on (i) the precise\ud mechanism(s) of action of green-fabricated metal nanoparticles, (ii) their fate in the aquatic\ud environment, and (iii) the possible toxicity of residual silver ions in the aquatic ecosystems, (iv) the standardization of chemical composition of botanical products used as sources of reducing and\ud capping metabolites, (v) the optimization of the green nanosynthetic routes, in order to develop\ud large-scale production of eco-friendly nanomosquitocides

Evidence of the impact of climate change on natural and agroecosystems is nowadays established worldwide, especially in the Mediterranean Basin, an area known to be very susceptible to heatwaves and drought. Olea europaea is one of the main income sources for the Mediterranean agroeconomy, and it is considered a sensitive indicator of the climate change degree because of the tight relationship between its biology and temperature trend. Despite the economic importance of the olive, few studies are nowadays available concerning the consequences that global heating may have on its major pests. Among the climatic parameters, temperature is the key one influencing the relation between the olive tree and its most threatening parasites, including Bactrocera oleae and Prays oleae. Therefore, several prediction models are based on this climatic parameter (e.g., cumulative degree day models). Even if the use of models could be a promising tool to improve pest control strategies and to safeguard the Mediterranean olive patrimony, they are not currently available for most O. europaea pests, and they have to be used considering their limits. This work stresses the lack of knowledge about the biology and the ethology of olive pests under a climate change scenario, inviting the scientific community to focus on the topic.

Human pathologies, environmental pollution, and resistance phenomena caused by the intensive use of chemical pesticides have shifted the attention of the agrochemical industries towards eco-friendly insecticides and acaricides. Acmella oleracea (L.) R. K. Jansen (jambù) is a plant native to South America, widely distributed and cultivated in many countries due to its numerous pharmacological properties. This review analyzes literature about the plant, its uses, and current knowledge regarding insecticidal and acaricidal activity. Acmella oleracea has proven to be a potential pesticide candidate against several key arthropod pest and vector species. This property is inherent to its essential oil and plant extract, which contain spilanthol, the main representative of N-alkylamides. As a result, there is a scientific basis for the industrial exploitation of jambù in the preparation of green insecticides. However, studies related to its toxicity towards non-target species and those aimed at formulating and developing marketable products are lacking.

In this study, we present the first characterization of herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) released from infested olive leaves. The gall midgeDasineura oleaeis a specific pest ofOlea europaeaand endemic of the Mediterranean Basin, an area in which severe outbreaks currently occurred. Little is known about the damage caused by the pest and the relationship with its host. Since gall formation and larval feeding activity may lead to the release of specific plant volatile compounds, we investigated the volatile profiles emitted from infested plants compared with healthy plants under both laboratory and field conditions. Additionally, the volatiles emitted from mechanically damaged plants were considered. A blend of 12 volatiles was emitted from olive trees infested byD. oleae. Of these, β-copaene, β-ocimene, cosmene, unknown 1 and unknown 3 were found to be exclusively emitted in infested plants. The emission of germacrene-D, (E,E)-α-farnesene, and (Z,E)-α-farnesene, α-copaene, (E)-4,8-dimethylnona-1,3,7-triene, (E)-β-guaiene and heptadecane significantly increased in infested trees. Linalool, β-copaen-4-α-ol, β-bourbonene, β-cubebene, β-elemene, β-copaene and δ-amorphene were found only in the field trial and showed differences depending on the level of infestation and the plant stage. (Z)-3-Hexenol, (E)-4-oxohen-2-enal, and 2-(2-butoxyethoxy)-ethanol, were exclusively emitted from the leaves after mechanical damage. In a field trial in Italy, we also demonstrated spring synchronization between adults ofD. oleaeandO. europaeatrees. Analyses of morphoanatomical malformations of gall leaves showed that tissue alterations occur at the spongy parenchyma causing an increase of the leaf blade thickness. We speculate that tissue alterations may lead to HIPV release, in turn potentially attractingD. oleaenatural enemies.