Conservation biological control aims to enhance populations of natural enemies of insect
pests in crop habitats, typically by intentional provision of flowering plants as food resources …

Parasitoids depend on other insects for the development of their offspring. Their eggs are
laid in or on a host insect that is consumed during juvenile development. Parasitoids harbor …

Plants possess a suite of traits that make them challenging to consume by insect herbivores.
Plant tissues are recalcitrant, have low levels of protein, and may be well defended by …

While ecological interactions have been identified as determinant for biological control
efficiency, the role of evolution remains largely underestimated in biological control …

Symbiotic relationships may provide organisms with key innovations that aid in the
establishment of new niches. For example, during oviposition, some species of parasitoid …

Microbial organisms are ubiquitous in nature and often form communities closely associated
with their host, referred to as the microbiome. The microbiome has strong influence on …

Microorganisms living in and on macroorganisms may produce microbial volatile
compounds (mVOCs) that characterise organismal odours. The mVOCs might thereby …

Tritrophic interactions among plants, herbivorous insects and their parasitoids have been
well studied in the past four decades. Recently, a new angle has been uncovered …

A peculiar feature of all living beings is their capability to communicate. With the discovery of
the quorum sensing phenomenon in bioluminescent bacteria in the late 1960s, it became …

Highlights•The best-known viral symbionts of endoparasitic wasps are polydnaviruses
(PDVs).•There is increasing awareness that PDVs can affect plant–insect interactions.•PDVs …