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As synthetic insecticides impair the ecosystem services provided by beneficial arthropods, bioinsecticides are gaining interest worldwide as a more sustainable approach to agricultural pest management. Although supposedly considered safe for non-target species, bioinsecticides can still have adverse effects on arthropod natural enemies. This review aims to summarise the literature of the last two years on the non-target effects of botanical and microbial bioinsecticides focussing on the evaluation of lethal and sublethal toxicity to predators and parasitoids. Essential oils show promising compatibility with parasitoids, but their effects on predators are variable. Among microbials, most of the experiments have been conducted with fungi followed by bacteria and viruses with different endpoints, resulting in a general compatibility with biocontrol agents but some results are controversial. Further laboratory studies should be carried out to improve bioinsecticide formulations. Extensive field studies are needed to assess more complex sublethal endpoints at the individual and community levels. • Natural enemies of arthropod pests provide valuable ecosystem services. • Biopesticides, including botanicals and microbials, impact natural enemies. • Negative effects are equally distributed between predators and parasitoids. • Laboratory-based studies are prevalent while field data are still scarce. • Risk assessment schemes should include sublethal and transgenerational endpoints.
Lisi et al. (Mon,) studied this question.