Lipoptena fortisetosa, a deer ked native to Japan, has established itself in several European countries and was recently recorded in Italy. This hippoboscid ectoparasite can develop high density populations, causing annoyance to animals and concern regarding the potential risk of transmitting pathogens to humans. No monitoring or control methods for L. fortisetosa have been applied or tested up to now. This research evaluated the possible response of L. fortisetosa winged adults to different colours as the basis for a monitoring and control strategy. In the summer of 2020, a series of six differently coloured sticky panels were randomly set as traps in a wooded area used by deer for resting. The results indicated a clear preference of the deer ked for the blue panels that caught the highest number of flies during the experimental period. Lower numbers of flies were trapped on the red, green, black, and white panels, with the yellow panels recording the fewest captures. The response clearly demonstrates that this species displays a colour preference, and that coloured traps might be useful for monitoring and limiting this biting ectoparasite in natural areas harbouring wildlife and visited by people.

Castanea sativa plays a key role in different production chains (timber, flour, honey, and tannins). Moreover, considering the great importance of chestnuts and chestnut flour for the food industry and for the subsistence of piedmont communities, a relaunch of this production chain is definitely essential, thus motivating this review. The first aim of this literature overview is to summarize current knowledge regarding the main criticalities in chestnut tree cultivation, chestnut processing, and in chestnut flour production. The second aim is to suggest specific improvement strategies to contrast the main pests and diseases affecting chestnut trees, improve chestnut processing and flour production, and, finally, valorize all by-products generated by this production chain. With respect to chestnut trees, it is essential to develop specific integrated strategies based on early detection and management to contrast known and emerging issues. With regard to chestnut drying and flour production, particular attention needs to be paid to molds and mycotoxins which definitely represent the main criticalities. In addition, further investigations are needed to improve the dying process in both traditional and modern dry kilns, and to develop innovative drying processes. Finally, to face the monumental challenge of environmental sustainability, the valorization of the whole chestnut by-products is crucial. This review clearly highlighted that the recovery of polyphenols from chestnut by-products is the most interesting, sustainable, and profitable strategy. However, the fungal fermentation or the incorporation of little amounts of these by-products into foods seems a very interesting alternative.

Lipoptena cervi (Linnaeus), Lipoptena fortisetosa Maa, Hippobosca equina Linnaeus, and Pseudolynchia canariensis (Macquart) are hematophagous ectoparasites that infest different animal species and occasionally bite humans. Hosts are located by a complex process involving different kinds of stimuli perceived mainly by specific sensory structures on the antennae, which are the essential olfactory organs. General antennal morphology, together with distribution and ultrastructure of sensilla, have been studied in detail with scanning and transmission electron microscopy approaches. Observations have revealed some common features among the four studied hippoboscids: (a) typical concealment of the flagellum inside the other two segments; (b) characteristic trabecular surface of the flagellum; (c) peculiar external microtrichia; (d) presence on the flagellum of basiconic sensilla and grooved peg coeloconic sensilla; (e) unarticulated arista. The ultrastructure of L. fortisetosa revealed that microtrichia and the flagellar reticulated cuticle are not innervated. Different roles have been hypothesized for the described antennal structures. Microtrichia and the reticulated cuticle could convey volatile compounds towards the flagellar sensory area. Peculiar sensory neurons characterize the unarticulated arista which could be able to detect temperature variations. Coeloconic sensilla could be involved in thermoreception, hygroreception, and carbon dioxide reception at long distances, while the poorly porous basiconic sensilla could play a role in the host odour perception at medium–short distances.

Lipoptena fortisetosa and L. cervi are hematophagous ectoparasites belonging to the Hippoboscidae family and preferentially living on cervids. In recent years, they have received specific attention due to the great increase in the abundance of their host species, and to their medical and veterinary importance as possible vectors of pathogens harmful to humans and animals. The aim of this study was to investigate the parasitism level of both of these flies on their main hosts in Italy, which are red deer, fallow deer, and roe deer, and to highlight a possible preference for a species, sex, or age class among the hosts. Deer keds were collected by examining 326 cervids hunted in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. Outcomes showed that L. fortisetosa has greatly spread throughout the study area, where it competes with the autochthonous L. cervi. Moreover, red deer was the favored host species of both ectoparasites, while different preferences for host sex and age classes were observed in the two hippoboscids. The regular monitoring of deer ked populations, especially the allochthonous L. fortisetosa, which is continuously spreading in Europe, is recommended to expand the knowledge on these parasitic species that are potentially dangerous to public health.

Bioactive principles administered in the form of finely dispersed particles are a major innovation in plant protection. At present, the most promising formulations are those in which natural functional compounds are transported by vectors obtained from agrifood by-products, in that these systems are able to maximize both efficacy and biocompatibility. Here we present new nanovectors obtained by combining olive pomace (OP) and egg yolk phosphatidylcholine (EPC) to deliver hydroxytyrosol (HT) as a pest control agent. In this way, a valuable antioxidant found in agricultural waste can be reused to develop biopesticides according to the concept of circular economy. Specifically, nanocarriers obtained by natural lipid mixtures were loaded with HT and dispersed in water. The stable and reproducible character of these formulations was assessed by in-depth physicochemical characterization. For this purpose, empty and HT-loaded nanosystems were investigated by dynamic light scattering, zeta potential, and small-angle X-ray scattering. Combining these tools allowed reaching a comprehensive picture of the obtained particles in terms of size and structure at the submicron scale. The concentration of HT used was 2.5–5 mg mL⁻¹, a range of values which are not attainable in the absence of encapsulating objects. The newly prepared biopesticides were subsequently tested against the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann, 1824), belonging to Diptera, Tephritidae, and Sitophilus oryzae (Linnaeus, 1763), belonging to Coleoptera, Curculionidae. Multifactorial analysis was used to examine the relationships among different groups of variables, such as number of insect eggs and number of egg clusters. This in-depth data treatment showed increased repellency and limited oviposition in samples protected by formulations, thus opening new perspectives for applications in sustainable agriculture.