Agricultural Entomology and Zoology

The Laboratory of Agricultural Entomology and Zoology is a research unit of the Department of Agricultural Development, School of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH), based in Orestiada, Greece. The Laboratory has been operational in its current form since 2012 and currently hosts two faculty members with complementary expertise in agricultural entomology, acarology, and biological control.

Laboratory Details

Laboratory Title: Agricultural Entomology and Zoology

Faculty: Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences

School: Agricultural Development

Email: gbroufas@agro.duth.gr

Telephone: 2552041154

Website:

Official Gazette of Establishment:

Introduction - Presentation

The Laboratory of Agricultural Entomology and Zoology is a research unit of the Department of Agricultural Development, School of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH), based in Orestiada, Greece. The Laboratory has been operational in its current form since 2012 and currently hosts two faculty members with complementary expertise in agricultural entomology, acarology, and biological control.

Field of Research

Research in the Laboratory focuses on the ecology and management of phytophagous arthropods in agricultural systems, with emphasis on biological control and integrated pest management. Main research areas include biological control using predatory mites, lacewings, and mirid predators; arthropod–plant–microorganism interactions and plant-mediated defenses; pesticide side-effects on non-target beneficial organisms; phenological models and decision-support tools for IPM; and pest surveillance, including insect vectors, novel monitoring attractants, and AI-based pest/disease detection systems.

Laboratory Members

Name	Position/Capacity	Email	Telephone
George D. Broufas	Director	gbroufas@agro.duth.gr	255041154
Maria L. Pappa	Faculty Member	mpappa@agro.duth.gr	255041151
Giannis Bakirtzis	PhD Candidate	ibakirtz@agro.duth.gr
Anastasia Pandelidou	PhD Candidate	anaspant11@agro.duth.gr
Aggelos Bextsoudis	PhD Candidate	abechtso@agro.duth.gr

Featured Research Programs

Programme Title	Duration	Funding
InsectFrass: Insect frass for sustainable pest management	2025-2028	Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (H.F.R.I.)
ECOBOOST: Boosting functional biodiversity for ecosystem services in Mediterranean crop production	2022-2026	(PRIMA 2021)
BeMost: Beneficial microbes to optimize pest control in sustainable tomato production	2021–2024	Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (H.F.R.I.)

Featured Publications

Chronological Order	APP	doi
Bechtsoudis, A., Pappas, M. L., Samaras, K., & Broufas, G. D. (2025). Effects of Alternative Food Sources and Different Substrates on the Mass Rearing of Amblyseius andersoni. Plants, 14(18), 2912.		https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14182912
Koufakis, I.E., Kalaitzaki, A.P., Broufas, G.D., Tsagkarakis, A., & Pappas, M.L. (2025). Mealworm Frass as a Novel Insect Food-Based Attractant: The Case of Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Tephritidae). Insects, 16(5), 466;		https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16050466
Samaras, K., Pappas, M.L., Pozzebon, A., & Broufas, G.D. (2024). Pollen provisioning attenuates pesticide side-effects on a phytoseiid predator. Pest Manag Sci, 80: 2619-2625.		https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.7969