Essential oil-based nanoinsecticides: ecological costs and commercial potential

The intensive use, misuse, and overuse of synthetic pesticides lead to several risks to the ecosystem and human health. For this reason, there is a need to find new eco-friendly and effective instruments for the control of insect vectors and agricultural pests. Bioinsecticides represent prominent candidates for the possible resolution of these issues, and essential oils (EOs) have gained increased attention in the last decades. They showed promising insecticidal efficacy, safety, and wide acceptance by public opinion. On the other hand, their high volatility allows low persistence and rapid degradation. The features that characterize EOs, such as low water solubility, instability, and volatility, are also often limiting their real employment. For this reason, several studies report the use of nanoformulations for the encapsulation of EOs, and these techniques represent key tools for their real-world application. This chapter furnishes a broad overview on the employment of EO-based nanoinsecticides and on their ecological costs and commercial potential. Moreover, this chapter focuses on the main characteristics of EOs, the advantages and challenges that are linked to their use, the status of their commercial utilization, and the nanoformulations currently available and their impact on nontarget species.