Insect pollinators are critical for human food security and the proper functioning of natural ecosystems, but long-term declines of wild bee populations have necessitated a broader understanding of how different land cover types can support bee conservation. In contrast to regularly tilled agricultural crops that seldom provide nesting areas for wild bees, perennial grass seed fields experience long intervals between soil disturbance (5-15 y) and may provide suitable nesting habitat for ground-nesting bees. In this study we sampled wild bees in perennial grass seed fields planted to tall fescue (Schedonorus phoenix) that were devoid of bloom to assess the potential for perennial grass seed fields to support bee populations when floral resources were absent. We sampled bees at both near (50 m) and far (200 m) distances from field edges, capturing > 750 individual bees that represented 41 species/morphospecies in 12 genera and 3 families within grass seed fields. Most of the bees we captured were ground-nesting species, with several of the most abundant genera harboring species that are critical for crop pollination including bumble bees (Bombus spp.), long-horned bees (Melissodes spp.), and sweat bees (Halictus spp.). When considering females of nest-building species, we detected no differences in observed species richness or abundance at sampling locations that were near and far from field edges. We also found no strong differences in body size differences between near and far sampling locations, suggesting small bees with limited foraging distances nested within grass seed fields. Our results indicate that native bees use floral-devoid grass seed fields, perhaps because they serve as nesting areas for ground-nesting species, and that such bees have the potential to spill over into adjacent crops and enhance pollination when grass seed fields are embedded within a mixed crop landscape.

Pest outbreaks are among the major factors that affect agroecosystems, subsequently leading to the excessive use of fertilizers and toxic pesticides, polluting the environment and causing serious health concerns. This indiscriminate use of conventional pest-controlling chemicals has led to the development of pesticide resistance, affecting soil fertility. Ultimately, there is a need to find alternative means to manage pest situations. In this regard, nanotechnology has emerged as a novel technique with a wide range of applications in agrochemical and Phyto-protection systems to control pests to a significant extent. Nanoparticles are being used in different nanoformulations of pesticides, insecticides, and nanobiopesticides with broad-spectrum biopesticidal potential, which could be fabricated by using various metals like silver, zinc, alumina, copper, gold, and titanium. However, further research is required to understand the interaction between the metals and the natural biopolymers needed for their reduction during nanoparticle formulation. Keeping in view the importance of the issue, the current review encompasses a detailed discussion of pest-related issues including crop losses and their global impact followed by the mechanism of pesticide resistance and demand for biopesticides. Furthermore, the role of nanobiopesticides in pest control has been highlighted briefly with their mode of action.

In this study, a new species of whitefly Aleuropleurocelus tecomastans Sanchez-Flores and Carapia-Ruiz sp. nov. was found in the municipality of Acapulco State of Guerrero, Mexico on the underside of Tecoma stans (L.) leaves. Photomicrographs of pupal morphological structures are provided and separation with other nearby species is discussed.