The tomato leafminer (Tuta absoluta), a globally invasive pest, poses a major economic threat to tomato production. Although chemical control remains the primary management method, sustainable alternatives are urgently needed. Sex pheromone communication is critical for moth courtship and mating, with pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs) playing a key role in this process. In this study, we identified a PBP gene, TabsPBP2, from the T. absoluta transcriptome. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) revealed that TabsPBP2 is highly expressed in the antennae, with a strong male-biased expression pattern. Ligand-binding assays demonstrated that TabsPBP2 has the highest affinity for the sex pheromones (3E, 8Z, 11Z)-tetradecatrienyl acetate (TDTA) and (3E, 8Z)-tetradecadienyl acetate (TDDA). It also demonstrated a moderate-to-strong binding affinity to several tomato volatiles, including 2-carene, myrcene, α-pinene, cis-3-hexen-l-ol, methyl salicylate, sabinene, and α-terpinene. Molecular docking suggested that hydrophobic interactions predominantly stabilize the TabsPBP2–ligand complexes, with PHE118, PHE12, LEU90, LEU68, and ALA73 identified as key interacting residues. Electroantennogram (EAG) and Y-tube olfactometer assays confirmed that TDTA and TDDA act as strong attractants for male T. absoluta. This study enhances our understanding of the pheromone recognition in T. absoluta and provides a foundation for developing novel, pheromone-based pest control strategies.

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.