Herbivorous insects rely on volatile chemical cues from host plants to locate food sources and oviposition sites. General odorant binding proteins (GOBPs) are believed to be involved in the detection of host plant volatiles. In the present study, one GOBP gene, ScinGOBP2, was cloned from the antennae of adult Semiothisa cinerearia. Reverse-transcription PCR and real-time quantitative PCR analysis revealed that the expression of ScinGOBP2 was strongly biased towards the female antennae. Fluorescence-based competitive binding assays revealed that 8 of the 27 host plant volatiles, including geranyl acetone, decanal, cis-3-hexenyl n-valerate, cis-3-hexenyl butyrate, 1-nonene, dipentene, α-pinene and β-pinene, bound to ScinGOBP2 (K_D = 2.21–14.94 μM). The electrical activities of all eight ScinGOBP2 ligands were confirmed using electroantennography. Furthermore, oviposition preference experiments showed that eight host volatiles, such as decanal, cis-3-hexenyl n-valerate, cis-3-hexenyl butyrate, and α-pinene, had an attractive effect on female S. cinerearia, whereas geranyl acetone, 1-nonene, β-pinene, and dipentene inhibited oviposition in females. Consequently, it can be postulated that ScinGOBP2 may be implicated in the perception of host plant volatiles and that ScinGOBP2 ligands represent significant semiochemicals mediating the interactions between plants and S. cinerearia. This insight could facilitate the development of a chemical ecology-based approach for the management of S. cinerearia.

Drosophila suzukii is a major pest of sweet cherries. In this study, we evaluated its oviposition preferences across six cherry cultivars and assessed the effects of the fruit traits on its growth and development. Significant differences in the color, firmness, and sugar content were observed among the cultivars and ripeness stages. The highest oviposition rates were recorded for the “Hongdeng” (HD) and “Burlat” (BLT) cultivars in both the non-choice (HD: 31.9 ± 2.0 eggs/cherry; BLT: 31.3 ± 1.9 eggs/cherry) and choice (HD: 32.4 ± 3.2 eggs/cherry; BLT: 27.6 ± 1.9 eggs/cherry) tests, largely influenced by the fruit color. While the developmental parameters showed slight variation across the cultivars, significant differences were observed in the pupation rates (ranging from 0.80 to 0.89) and survival rates (ranging from 0.51 to 0.62), with both parameters being the highest for the “Hongdeng” cultivar. The correlation analysis revealed that a darker fruit color—characterized by lower lightness (L*), lower chromaticity (b*), and a higher color index for red grapes (CIRG)—positively influenced the oviposition and pupation rates. Although the other correlations were not significant, the oviposition and developmental parameters were positively correlated with sweetness and negatively correlated with firmness. These findings enhance our understanding of how cherry traits influence D. suzukii behavior, providing critical insights for pest management strategies in cherry production.

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, has become a severe threat to agriculture worldwide with continuous invasion and spread. Sulfoxaflor is the pioneering sulfoximine insecticide and has been widely employed for managing sap-feeding insect pests across diverse crops. However, the sublethal effects of sulfoxaflor on the growth and reproduction of H. halys remain unexplored. This study employed age-stage life tables and physiological parameters to evaluate the sublethal effects of sulfoxaflor on H. halys. The bioassay results indicated that the LC20 and LC50 values of sulfoxaflor against second-instar nymphs of H. halys were 7.75 and 20.97 mg/L, respectively. Treatment with the LC20 concentration of sulfoxaflor reduced the lifespan of female adults by 11.74 days. Importantly, the oviposition period of females was shortened by 9.47 days, and the fecundity was decreased by 1.4-fold. Additionally, the activities of cytochrome P450 (P450s) and glutathione S-transferase (GSTs) enzymes in H. halys were enhanced 1.40 and 1.54 times after treatment with sublethal concentrations of sulfoxaflor. These findings demonstrate that sublethal concentrations of sulfoxaflor significantly inhibit the population development of H. halys. Moreover, the detoxification enzymes P450s and GSTs may be associated with the potential resistance to sulfoxaflor in H. halys. This information provides valuable insights into the application of sulfoxaflor in the management of this pest.

Trichopria drosophilae is a cosmopolitan pupal parasitoid of drosophilid pests, including the globally destructive Drosophila suzukii. Improving parasitoid fitness through nutritional supplementation is a promising strategy for biological control, yet the suitability of field-available food resources remains largely unexplored. Here, we assessed how adult diet influences longevity, survival, parasitism, offspring production, and sex ratio of T. drosophilae. Seven dietary treatments were tested: water control, 10% honey solution, banana pulp, blueberry pulp, cherry pulp, Orychophragmus violaceus flowers alone, and flowers plus water. Fruit pulps, especially cherry, dramatically prolonged adult longevity to over 28 days, matching or surpassing the honey standard. Wasps fed O. violaceus flowers alone survived only approximately five days; however, providing water together with flowers restored survival to a level comparable to the water control, indicating that water deprivation was an important (at least partial) cause of this short lifespan, and no evidence was found that O. violaceus flowers provide accessible nectar. In a density-dependent parasitism assay across six host densities (5–30 pupae), a significant diet-by-density interaction was detected: parasitism rates were low at low host densities and increased with host density, whereas at intermediate and high densities (15–30 hosts), fruit-fed wasps parasitized significantly more hosts than the water control (blueberry at 15 hosts; banana at 20 hosts; all three fruit treatments at 25 and 30 hosts). Across all densities, fruit-fed wasps parasitized significantly more hosts overall than those receiving water or honey alone. Consistently, total offspring and female emergence were greater in fruit-fed groups than in water-fed wasps. Offspring sex ratio was unaffected by diet. These results demonstrate that fruit pulps are highly effective nutritional resources that enhance both survival and reproductive success of T. drosophilae in a density-dependent manner, whereas O. violaceus flowers alone are insufficient to sustain parasitoid survival. Our findings highlight the potential of fruit resources as natural food subsidies for parasitoids and underscore the need to consider floral accessibility when selecting plants for conservation biological control.