Open research questions in Insect and Pesticide Research

What the literature leaves open

• Additional in-depth research is needed to evaluate health, ecology, and genetic diversity of Tanzania’s native honeybee subspecies. The results will support development of region-specific hive designs and management practices to minimize colony losses due to absconding, pests, diseases, and habitat change.

  Status of Beekeeping Industry in Tanzania: Resources, Practices, and Conservation · 2026 · DOI

• While this short-term study effectively captured acute biomarker responses, the inherent limitations in geographic and temporal scale mean that potential long-term cumulative impacts warrant further investigation across full annual cycles and multiple locations.

  Evaluation of the Health Status of Apis mellifera in Relation to the Use of Plant Protection Products in Viticulture Through a Multi-Biomarker Approach · 2026 · DOI

• Secondly, the functional characterization of the gut microbiota remains limited. Although the honey bee gut microbial community is relatively simple in composition, different strains may exhibit considerable variation in metabolic capacity, colonization traits, and host effects. Description confined to the genus or species level alone is often insufficient to reveal specific functions.

  Integrative Advances in Honey Bee Gut–Brain Interactions: From Microbiota Dynamics to Behavioral Regulation and Colony Health · 2026 · DOI

• While the 5’-UTR region influences transcription and translation22, the function of the LP remains unknown. It remains unclear whether the recombination patterns are a result of selective pressure from the host or from the Varroa mite.

  Metagenomic analysis reveals recombinant Deformed Wing Viruses in winter-collapsed colonies · 2026 · DOI

• These lines of evidence support the interpretation that the initial homogenization step alone (2 mm beads, intended to disrupt the honey bee body wall) was insufficient to fully disrupt the Nosema spore wall itself, and that the addition of a second homogenization step using smaller 0.

  Development and Preliminary Evaluation of a qPCR Workflow for Assessing Nosema ceranae Infection Levels in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) · 2026 · DOI

• While the compound eyes of Coleoptera, particularly within the Cucujiformia (including Cleroidea, Lymexyloidea, Chrysomeloidea, and Cucujoidea), have been comprehensively studied, morphological analyses of Scolytinae bark beetles remain scarce.

  Compound Eye Structure and Phototactic Dimorphism in the Yunnan Pine Shoot Beetle, Tomicus yunnanensis (Coleoptera: Scolytinae) · 2025 · DOI

• Further research is needed to understand how neonicotinoids affect plant physiology, particularly plant defenses, as these changes can alter plant–insect interactions and propagate throughout the food web.

  Sublethal Effects of Neonicotinoids: How Physiological and Behavioral Disruptions in Non-Target Insects Threaten Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services · 2025 · DOI

• Since all the potential mechanisms examined in this study appeared to contribute to the resistance of LVG bees, future research could examine additional resistance mechanisms as it is possible that even more traits and, thus, more genes are involved.

  Diversity of Potential Resistance Mechanisms in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) Selected for Low Population Growth of the Parasitic Mite, Varroa destructor · 2025 · DOI

• Continuous monitoring of NNI exposure is warranted owing to the increasing trend of HI, changes in exposure patterns, as well as dietary intake risks. More longitudinal biomonitoring studies are warranted to assess the exposure patterns and potential risk of NNIs in specific regions.

  Longitudinal Health Risk Assessment of Neonicotinoid Exposure and Its Association with Dietary Sources in School-Aged Children: A Prospective Cohort Study · 2025 · DOI

• The adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) for the toxicity of neonicotinoids in mammals have not been established yet, so there is a need to investigate potential adverse health effects related to chronic environmental exposure using integrating studies.

  New Insights into Biochemical, Genotoxic, and Analytical Aspects of Low-Level Imidacloprid Exposure in Liver and Kidney Tissue of Adult Male Wistar Rats · 2025 · DOI

• Future research should focus on the following areas to achieve intelligent edge devices: Optimisation of machine learning models: research should focus on creating lightweight, energy-efficient versions of machine learning models that can perform effectively on low-power devices without neglecting accuracy.

  IoT and Machine Learning Techniques for Precision Beekeeping: A Review · 2025 · DOI

• The Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico is home to a high density of both managed and feral Africanized honey bees (AHBs), which are also known to be infected by DWV, though variant dynamics in this tropical location have not been explored.

  Superinfection Exclusion in Neotropical Honey Bees May Block DWV‐B, an Emerging Infectious Disease Variant of Deformed Wing Virus · 2025 · DOI

• The risk assessment for the latter should be expanded beyond the existing guidelines to encompass innovative methods allowing the detection of harmful influences on complex parameters such as behavior, fecundity, longevity, learning, and memory in insects, particularly in honey bees and other pollinators.

  Current Insights into Sublethal Effects of Pesticides on Insects · 2024 · DOI

• The presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in raw wood vinegar, which are highly carcinogenic. The lack of legal regulations regarding wood vinegar quality, which can affect its safety and efficacy. The need for standardization in all phases of wood vinegar production to generate a product with constant quality and properties.

  The Potential of Wood Vinegar to Replace Antimicrobials Used in Animal Husbandry—A Review · 2024 · DOI

• The paper identifies a need for effective strategies to control Nosema ceranae infection in honey bees. Current methods have limitations, and natural-based products may offer a promising alternative.

  Potential of Wormwood and Oak Bark-Based Supplement in Health Improvement of Nosema ceranae-Infected Honey Bees · 2024 · DOI

• The lack of standardized methodology for utilizing data to set appropriate MRLs. The need for sensitive and accurate analytical methods for determining pesticide residues and heavy metal contamination in honey and pollen.

  Multiresidue Methods Analysis to Detect Contamination of Selected Metals in Honey and Pesticides in Honey and Pollen · 2024 · DOI

• The need to understand the effect of different diets on the gut microbiota and health of honey bees. The lack of knowledge on the correlation between gut microbiota and health-related indicators in honey bees.

  The Improving Effects of Probiotic-Added Pollen Substitute Diets on the Gut Microbiota and Individual Health of Honey Bee (Apis mellifera L.) · 2024 · DOI

• The study highlights the need for advanced molecular profiling techniques to fully understand the systemic impacts of pesticide mixtures.

  Exploring the Effects of Imidacloprid on Liver Health and the Microbiome in Rats: A Comprehensive Study · 2024 · DOI

• The need to minimize the impact of preconceptions on the research findings. The challenge of achieving theoretical saturation in the data collection process.

  Rural Business Environments, Information Channels, and Farmers’ Pesticide Utilization Behavior: A Grounded Theory Analysis in Hainan Province, China · 2024 · DOI

• Although these independent observations are interesting, unambiguous empirical and experimental evidence proving Varroa as a vector of CBPV and SBV is lacking.

  Varroa destructor shapes the unique viral landscapes of the honey bee populations of the Azores archipelago · 2024 · DOI

• These results further support that viruses are associated with honey bee colony deaths and indicate that further investigations on the effects of viruses on individual bee and colony health are warranted.

  Honey Bee Viromes from Beekeeping Operations Experiencing High Losses in 2022–2023 · 2026 · DOI

• The study used a controlled exposure at different dosages, which may not reflect real-world exposure scenarios. The study was conducted in rats, which may not be directly applicable to humans. The experimental procedures were limited to 8 weeks, which may not be sufficient to capture long-term effects.

  Exploring the Effects of Imidacloprid on Liver Health and the Microbiome in Rats: A Comprehensive Study · 2024 · DOI

• At the same time, important limitations constrain confident inference and application.

  How Environmental and Ecological Stressors Reprogram Honey Bee Chemistry Through the Microbiome–Metabolome Axis · 2026 · DOI

• Standardization of WV production, - Investigation of the effects of WV on different types of animals, - Study of the optimal dosage of WV for different…

  The Potential of Wood Vinegar to Replace Antimicrobials Used in Animal Husbandry—A Review · 2024 · DOI

• Investigate the long-term effects of P. acidilactici on honey bee health, - Examine the impact of other stressors on honey bee gut microbiota, - Study the effects of thiamethoxam on honey bee gut microbiota in different…

  The Response of the Honey Bee Gut Microbiota to Nosema ceranae Is Modulated by the Probiotic Pediococcus acidilactici and the Neonicotinoid Thiamethoxam · 2024 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Insect and Pesticide Research

• Bee declines driven by combined stress from parasites, pesticides, and lack of flowers · Science · 2015 · 3,538 citations
• Classical conditioning of proboscis extension in honeybees (Apis mellifera). · Journal of comparative psychology · 1983 · 854 citations
• Regulation of honey bee division of labor by colony age demography · Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology · 1996 · 422 citations
• Pesticides have negative effects on non-target organisms · Nature Communications · 2025 · 402 citations
• Do pesticides promote or hinder sustainability in agriculture? The challenge of sustainable use of pesticides in modern agriculture · The Science of The Total Environment · 2021 · 380 citations
• Applied pesticide toxicity shifts toward plants and invertebrates, even in GM crops · Science · 2021 · 322 citations
• Regulation of honey bee age polyethism by juvenile hormone · Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology · 1987 · 304 citations
• ECOLOGIES OF EMPIRE: On the New Uses of the Honeybee · Cultural Anthropology · 2010 · 280 citations
• Indirect Effect of Pesticides on Insects and Other Arthropods · Toxics · 2021 · 278 citations
• Pesticides and Soil Invertebrates: A Hazard Assessment · Frontiers in Environmental Science · 2021 · 274 citations

Most recent work

• Structures of the honeybee GABAA RDL receptor illuminate allosteric modulation · Neuron · 2026
• Viruses and vectors tied to honey bee colony losses · PLoS Pathogens · 2026
• LC–HRMS Screening, Risk Assessment, and Source Tracing of Neonicotinoid Insecticides and Their Transformation Products in China’s Coastal Urban Rivers · Environmental Science & Technology · 2026
• The honeybee gut microbiome: a novel multidimensional model of antimicrobial resistance transmission and immune homeostasis from environmental interactions to health regulation · FEMS Microbiology Reviews · 2026
• Effect of Honey Bee Colony Strength on Foraging Productivity and Its Application to Precision Pollination · Insects · 2026
• How Environmental and Ecological Stressors Reprogram Honey Bee Chemistry Through the Microbiome–Metabolome Axis · Insects · 2026
• Drivers of Viral Prevalence in Landscape‐Scale Pollinator Networks Across Europe: Honey Bee Viral Density, Niche Overlap With This Reservoir Host and Network Architecture · Ecology Letters · 2026
• Evaluating machine learning models for predicting pesticide toxicity to honey bees · Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety · 2026
• Honey Bee Viromes from Beekeeping Operations Experiencing High Losses in 2022–2023 · Viruses · 2026
• Decoding the chemical burden: 2020–2025 insights into pesticide toxicity, risk assessment, mitigation strategies, and future prospects in honey bees (Apis spp.) · Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology · 2026

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