# Topics and Trends in Most Cited Insect and Pesticide Research Papers, Class of 2026

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/insect-and-pesticide-research/2026*

## What topics and trends defined most-cited Insect and Pesticide Research research in the Class of 2026?

Research in insect and pesticide science is rapidly shifting from broad residue monitoring toward mechanistic toxicology and molecular pest control. While neonicotinoids and honey bee health remain core concerns, the Class of 2026 highlights rapid growth in RNA interference, sublethal stress modeling, and climate-driven pollinator dynamics alongside declining interest in simple residue detection.

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Field | Insect and Pesticide Research |
| Cohort label | Class of 2026 (2024 publications) |
| Papers analyzed | 10,171 |
| Papers ranked | 20 |
| Top topics in ranked papers | Neonicotinoid insecticides, honey bees, insecticide resistance, sublethal effects, imidacloprid |
| Publication window | Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024 |
| Eligibility | Research articles; reviews excluded |
| Citation window | 18 months post-publication |
| 18m citation range | 30–98 |
| Data source | OpenAlex · Retrieved Jul 2026 |
| License | CC BY 4.0 |

## Rankings

| Rank | Title | Authors | Corresponding authors | Affiliation | Journal | 18m citations | DOI |
| ---: | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---: | --- |
| 1 | Pervasive sublethal effects of agrochemicals on insects at environmentally relevant concentrations | Lautaro Gandara, Richard Jacoby, François Laurent, Matteo Spatuzzi, Nikolaos Vlachopoulos, Noa O Borst, Gülina Ekmen, Clement M Potel, Martin Garrido-Rodriguez, Antonia L Böhmert, Natalia Misunou, Bartosz J Bartmanski, Xueying C Li, Dominik Kutra, Jean-Karim Hériché, Christian Tischer, Maria Zimmermann-Kogadeeva, Victoria A Ingham, Mikhail M Savitski, Jean-Baptiste Masson, Michael Zimmermann, Justin Crocker | Lautaro Gándara, Justin Crocker | European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Germany | Science | 98 | 10.1126/science.ado0251 |
| 2 | Structural basis for odorant recognition of the insect odorant receptor OR-Orco heterocomplex | Yidong Wang, Liang Qiu, Bing Wang, Zeyuan Guan, Zhi Dong, Jie Zhang, Song Cao, Lulu Yang, Bo Wang, Zhou Gong, Liwei Zhang, Weihua Ma, Zhu Liu, Delin Zhang, Guirong Wang, Ping Yin | Yidong Wang, Liang Qiu, Bing Wang, Bo Wang | Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China | Science | 84 | 10.1126/science.adn6881 |
| 3 | Life-history stage determines the diet of ectoparasitic mites on their honey bee hosts | Bin Han, Jiangli Wu, Qiaohong Wei, Fengying Liu, Lihong Cui, Olav Rueppell, Shufa Xu | Olav Rueppell, Shufa Xu | Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China | Nature Communications | 47 | 10.1038/s41467-024-44915-x |
| 4 | From field to table: Ensuring food safety by reducing pesticide residues in food | Salman Munir, Asad Azeem, Muhammad Sikandar Zaman, Muhammad Zia Ul Haq | Muhammad Zia Ul Haq | University of Agriculture, Pakistan | The Science of The Total Environment | 47 | 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171382 |
| 5 | Impact of pesticide use on wild bee distributions across the United States | Laura Melissa Guzman, Elizabeth Elle, Lora A. Morandin, Neil S. Cobb, Paige Chesshire, Lindsie M. McCabe, Alice C. Hughes, Michael C. Orr, Leithen K. M’Gonigle | Laura Melissa Guzman | Simon Fraser University, Canada | Nature Sustainability | 39 | 10.1038/s41893-024-01413-8 |
| 6 | Gut bacteria of lepidopteran herbivores facilitate digestion of plant toxins | Nan Zhang, Zhaoyi Qian, Jintao He, Xiaoqiang Shen, Xiaoyu Lei, Chao Sun, Jie Fan, Gary W Felton, Yongqi Shao | Yongqi Shao | Zhejiang University, China | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences | 39 | 10.1073/pnas.2412165121 |
| 7 | Pesticide risk assessment in European agriculture: Distribution patterns, ban-substitution effects and regulatory implications | Luisa Gensch, Kerstin Jantke, Livia Rasche, Uwe A Schneider | Luisa Gensch | Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Germany | Environmental Pollution | 38 | 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123836 |
| 8 | Impact of pesticides on non-target invertebrates in agricultural ecosystems | Osama Elhamalawy, Ahmed Bakr, Fawzy Eissa | Fawzy Eissa | Al-Azhar University, Egypt | Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology | 37 | 10.1016/j.pestbp.2024.105974 |
| 9 | Thiadiazole/Thiadiazine Derivatives as Insecticidal Agent: Design, Synthesis, and Biological Assessment of 1,3,4-(Thiadiazine/Thiadiazole)-Benzenesulfonamide Derivatives as IGRs Analogues against <i>Spodoptera littoralis</i> | Ahmed M El-Saghier, Souhaila S Enaili, Aly Abdou, Abdullah Y A Alzahrani, Sana Ben Moussa, Mohamed A Gad, Asmaa M Kadry | Ahmed M. M. El‐Saghier, Mohamed A. Gad | Sohag University, Egypt | Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry | 35 | 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c09703 |
| 10 | Wild insects and honey bees are equally important to crop yields in a global analysis | James R. Reilly, Ígnasi Bartomeus, Dylan T. Simpson, Alfonso Allen‐Perkins, Lucas A. Garibaldi, Rachael Winfree | James R. Reilly | Rutgers University, United States | Global Ecology and Biogeography | 35 | 10.1111/geb.13843 |
| 11 | Nanoparticle LDH enhances RNAi efficiency of dsRNA in piercing-sucking pests by promoting dsRNA stability and transport in plants | Xiaoqin Cheng, Qi Zhou, Jiedan Xiao, Xueying Qin, Yuan Zhang, Xiaoxue Li, Weiwei Zheng, Hongyu Zhang | Weiwei Zheng, Hongyu Zhang | Huazhong Agricultural University, China | Journal of Nanobiotechnology | 34 | 10.1186/s12951-024-02819-4 |
| 12 | Pyridine Derivatives as Insecticides. Part 5. New Thieno[2,3-<i>b</i>]pyridines and Pyrazolo[3,4-<i>b</i>]pyridines Containing Mainly Ethyl Nicotinate Scaffold and Their Insecticidal Activity toward <i>Aphis gossypii</i> (Glover,1887) | Suzan Abuelhassan, Abdu E Abdel-Rahman, Mohamed A Gad, Mohamed A M Youssef, Shams H Abdel-Hafez, Etify A Bakhite | Etify A. Bakhite | Assiut University, Egypt | Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry | 34 | 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c03112 |
| 13 | Synthesis, insecticidal Activity, and molecular docking analysis of some benzo[h]quinoline derivatives against Culex pipiens L. Larvae | Eman A E El-Helw, Eslam M Hosni, Mahmoud Kamal, Ahmed I Hashem, Sayed K Ramadan | Sayed K. Ramadan | Ain Shams University, Egypt | Bioorganic Chemistry | 34 | 10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107591 |
| 14 | Insecticides, more than herbicides, land use, and climate, are associated with declines in butterfly species richness and abundance in the American Midwest | Braeden Van Deynze, Scott M Swinton, David A Hennessy, Nick M Haddad, Leslie Ries | Braeden Van Deynze | Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, United States | PLoS ONE | 33 | 10.1371/journal.pone.0304319 |
| 15 | Honey bee stressor networks are complex and dependent on crop and region | Sarah K French, Mateus Pepinelli, Ida M Conflitti, Aidan Jamieson, Heather Higo, Julia Common, Elizabeth M Walsh, Miriam Bixby, M Marta Guarna, Stephen F Pernal, Shelley E Hoover, Robert W Currie, Pierre Giovenazzo, Ernesto Guzman-Novoa, Daniel Borges, Leonard J Foster, Amro Zayed | Amro Zayed | York University, Canada | Current Biology | 32 | 10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.039 |
| 16 | Design, Synthesis, and Biological Activities of Novel Coumarin Derivatives as Pesticide Candidates | Henan Ma, Kaihua Wang, Beibei Wang, Ziwen Wang, Yuxiu Liu, Qingmin Wang | Ziwen Wang, Qingmin Wang | Tianjin Normal University, China | Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry | 32 | 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c08161 |
| 17 | The toxicity effects of imidacloprid and chlorpyrifos on oxidative stress and blood biochemistry in Cyprinus carpio | Mahdi Banaee, Amir Zeidi, Behzad Nematdoost Haghi, Amal Beitsayah | Mahdi Banaee | Behbahan Khatam Alanbia University of Technology, Iran | Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C Toxicology & Pharmacology | 32 | 10.1016/j.cbpc.2024.109979 |
| 18 | Insufficient pollinator visitation often limits yield in crop systems worldwide | Katherine J Turo, James R Reilly, Thijs P M Fijen, Ainhoa Magrach, Rachael Winfree | Katherine J. Turo | Rutgers University, United States | Nature Ecology & Evolution | 31 | 10.1038/s41559-024-02460-2 |
| 19 | Host-derived organic acids enable gut colonization of the honey bee symbiont Snodgrassella alvi | Andrew Quinn, Yassine El Chazli, Stéphane Escrig, Jean Daraspe, Nicolas Neuschwander, Aoife McNally, Christel Genoud, Anders Meibom, Philipp Engel | Philipp Engel | University of Lausanne, Switzerland | Nature Microbiology | 30 | 10.1038/s41564-023-01572-y |
| 20 | Biocontrol efficacy of cajeput oil against Anopheles stephensi L. mosquito and its effect on non-target species | Perumal Vivekanandhan, Tahani Awad Alahmadi, Mohammad Javed Ansari, S P Subala | Perumal Vivekanandhan | Saveetha University, India | Frontiers in Physiology | 30 | 10.3389/fphys.2024.1357411 |

## Topic trends

### What Topics Define the Class of 2026?

Topics in the Class of 2026 highlight a major research shift from broad pesticide measurement toward mechanistic toxicological impacts, pollinator protection, and molecular pest management strategies. Neonicotinoid insecticides remain the single most prominent topic, appearing in 18% of top-ranked publications, closely tied to specific active compounds such as imidacloprid and chlorpyrifos. Research heavily centers on managed pollinators, specifically honey bees (16% normalized frequency) and parasitic threats like Varroa destructor, examining how chemical exposures compromise colony survival and essential pollination services.

Beyond direct mortality, investigating sublethal effects (10% normalized frequency) has emerged as a major focus area. Studies evaluate subtle physiological disruptions including oxidative stress, detoxification enzyme induction (such as glutathione-S-transferase), and alteration of host-microbe interactions within the honey bee gut microbiota. Simultaneously, agricultural pest control research emphasizes emerging resistance mechanisms, leveraging molecular docking and cryo-EM structural analysis to inspect target site channel gating and P450 enzyme overexpression. Advanced bio-based strategies, particularly double-stranded RNA delivery via RNA interference, are increasingly investigated to mitigate target pest damage in invasive species such as Spodoptera frugiperda while protecting non-target insects.

*Leading research themes*

### How Did Topics Shift from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026?

Comparing topic frequencies between the Class of 2025 and Class of 2026 reveals a distinct pivot toward mechanistic eco-toxicology and targeted pest control solutions. The most significant growth occurs in research targeting major crop pests and emerging environmental stressors. Studies focusing on the invasive fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) and climate change impacts on pollinators experienced dramatic surges, reflecting heightened agricultural urgency. Methodological innovations also surged, with RNA interference (+300% relative change, expanding to 8% of publications) and sublethal physiological modeling (+400% relative change, reaching 10%) replacing traditional endpoint toxicity assays like simple LC50 calculations.

In contrast, traditional residue monitoring and environmental fate studies underwent a pronounced decline. Publications centered on broad pesticide residues fell sharply from 20% to 8% normalized frequency (-60% relative drop), while pesticide degradation studies decreased from 8% to 4%. Even foundational neonicotinoid papers saw a relative frequency drop of 36% (from 28% down to 18%), as research transitioned from establishing basic field toxicity toward resolving specific molecular mechanisms of cross-resistance and evaluating multi-stressor interactions across continental-scale agricultural landscapes.

*How topics shifted year over year*

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Insect and Pesticide Research Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/insect-and-pesticide-research/2026. Accessed 2026-07-22.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```