Various arthropod species, particularly insects, have been introduced as a result of increased intercontinental trade and international tourism. Many of these species pose a serious danger to both vegetation (phytophagous) and animal and human health (vectors). An additional risk factor, related to the climate crisis, has allowed allochthonous species to establish and expand in habitats modified by global warming.
The course therefore aims to provide the knowledge base of conventional and alternative methods for more sustainable control of these species.
Interventions to contain these species, to date, are still conducted mainly by chemical control, that is, the massive use of synthetic pesticides, which dangerously raise the chemical-biological risk related to the spread of these compounds. In the course The effects of pesticides on both the environment and humans will be described, and the main techniques of biological control of phytophagous insects and pathogen vectors will be addressed in detail.
Basic knowledge of the physiology of insects in relation to the organisms used in biological control (microbial entomopathogens and parasites) will also be provided, with emphasis on host-parasite relationships; thus, how entomopathogenic organisms and microorganisms are able to overcome the defensive (body and immune) barriers of target insects.

Environmental and health aspects of chemical and biohazard risk induced by the use of pesticides and bioinsecticides will be discussed, considering the effects on the environment and human and animal health.

PS: The course, subject to the availability of teaching facilities, will also include laboratory exercises on the handling of model organisms (insects) and the physiological effects of bioinsecticides.

Program
Climate change: influence on organisms and habitats
Impact of climate change on the spread of species, Alteration of habitats and establishment of alien species, Alteration of biological cycles of native species in relation to environmental changes.
Anthropogenic impacts
Alteration of the environment, Influence on biodiversity, The dangerous insects, phytophagous and vectors, Zoonoses and spillover, Agro-environmental damage.
Physiology of Hexapods
Hints of Insect Anatomy and Physiology, Hints of Life Cycles and Reproduction.
The Chemical Fight.
The most widely used Pesticides/Pesticides, European/World regulations, Effects on Environment and Biodiversity, Effects on Human and Animal Health.
Biological Control.
Basic principles, The Bioinsecticides: Microorganisms and Pests.
The Immune System of Arthropods.
The defense systems of Insects, General concepts, The humoral defenses, The cellular defenses.
Parasitology
Microorganism-host interactions, Parasite-host interactions.