The tea shot-hole borer (THSB), a member of the Euwallacea fornicatus (Eichhoff 1868) complex of species, harboring the plant pathogenic symbiotic fungi (AF-6, AF-8, and Fusarium sp.) (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) attacks avocado (Persea americana Miller) and other tree species in Florida. Currently, their management is limited to prevention and sanitation; therefore, the development of novel control alternatives is critical to mitigate pest outbreaks and avoid massive crop losses. Here, we report on the antifungal activity of copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) against the beetle/fungus complex and their effect on the beetle's reproduction. The results revealed that the synthesized Cu-NPs were pure metallic Cu with an average size of 240.88 ± 62.66 nm measured by electron microscopy. The antifungal test for symbionts showed that 0.75 mg/mL of Cu-NPs caused growth inhibition above 60%. However, strong alterations in the morphology of fungal cells were observed at Cu-NPs concentrations as low as 0.1 mg/mL. Additionally, treatments with 0.25, 0.5, and 1 mg/mL of Cu-NPs led to a reduction in offspring production in a concentration dependent manner. According to our findings, the application of Cu-NPs could be potentially considered as an alternative for the control of the beetle-fungi complex or even be integrated into novel disease management strategies.

茶小孔bore虫（THSB），是Euwallacea fornicatus（Eichhoff 1868）物种复合体的成员，带有植物病原性共生真菌（AF-6，AF-8和镰刀菌属）（Curculionidae：Scolytinae）攻击鳄梨（鳄梨美洲Miller）和佛罗里达的其他树种。目前，他们的管理仅限于预防和卫生；因此，开发新的控制替代方案对于减轻虫害暴发和避免大量作物损失至关重要。在这里，我们报告铜纳米粒子（Cu-NPs）对甲虫/真菌复合物的抗真菌活性及其对甲虫繁殖的影响。结果表明，合成的Cu-NPs是纯金属Cu，通过电子显微镜测得的平均尺寸为240.88±62.66nm。对共生菌的抗真菌试验表明，0.75 mg / mL的Cu-NPs引起60％以上的生长抑制。但是，在低至0.1 mg / mL的Cu-NPs浓度下，真菌细胞的形态发生了强烈变化。此外，用0.25、0.5，1 mg / mL的Cu-NPs以浓度依赖的方式降低了后代的产量。根据我们的发现，铜-纳米颗粒的应用可能被认为是控制甲虫-真菌复合物的替代方法，甚至可以整合到新的疾病管理策略中。