Conservation biological control of stink bugs: current knowledge and future perspectives

Abstract

Stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) are the main pests of a variety of agricultural crops around the world. Usually, a large amount of hazardous pesticides are used to control them, and biological control exerted by natural enemies represents a promising alternative. The improvement upon natural biological control that is achieved by human interventions, by protecting and promoting crop beneficial invertebrates naturally occurring in the environment, is known as conservation biological control. Enhancing the reproduction, survival, and efficacy of natural enemies of pests involves identifying practices harmful to them and finding alternatives, and also developing actions to actively benefit and promote them. In this Special Issue, we summarize current knowledge that contributes to the development and implementation of tools and protocols for the conservation of stink bugs’ biological control agents. Besides, the information presented in this Special Issue, a solid scientific basis can be decisive for the development of conservation biological control strategies for stink bugs that boosts for the implementation of a more sustainable agriculture, with reduced environmental impact and committed to human well-being.