## 4 Discussion
In Pentatomidae, lipids are indispensable to ensure populational dispersal after overwintering and are stored in significantly higher amounts compared to non-diapausing counterparts [43; 44; 45]. In _E. heros_, energy mobilization is fundamental to breaking diapause dormancy and regulating reproduction, a process that involves considerable lipid mobilization from fat storage. This adaptive strategy is essential to ensuring the colonization of its host, e.g., soybean, in early crop development [46]. The endogenous release of lipids and carbohydrates from the fat body is regulated by the adipokinetic hormone (AKH), a neuropeptide that has a variable structure between octa- and decapeptides [47]. The significant function of AKH in Heteroperan species is critical due to their high mobility and consequent high energy demand [48; 49]. In addition to flight and dispersion, AKH also has direct and indirect influences on reproduction because this process depends on adipose tissue for the formation and development of essential components, such as vittilogenin [50]. Vittilogenin, in turn, is responsible for oocyte nutrition, and its concentration in hemolymph is directly linked to factors related to developmental age, which determines hormonal activity and circulating JH titers [51], and responds to changes in carbohydrate and lipid levels in hemolymph [52]. Given the seasonally high proliferative potential post-diapause, the high availability of lipids in the hemolymph of adult _E. heros_ could be ascribed to this reproduction-related factor. Pyriproxyfen increases free amino acids in the hemolymph of _Leptinotarsa decemlineata_ (Coleoptera: Chrysomedidae), which is associated with protein degradation, especially diapause-bound [53]. In the same study, lipid levels were also heightened, especially in females, and were associated with an increase in vittilogenin concentration. Pyriproxyfen also negatively affects quantitative and qualitative measurements of hemocytes in _Galleria mellonella_ (Lepidoptera: Pyrallidae) [54] and the monosaccharide metabolite profile in _Bactrocera dorsalis_ (Diptera: Tephritidae) [55]. Changes in the metabolic and protein levels of hemolymph in insects treated with JH analogs are typically a consequence of their effect on the development process and the ensuing imbalance with ecdysteroids, which subsequently regulate physiological functions in larvae and adults [56]. Thus, the action of pyriproxyfen on the energetic components of _E. heros_ indicates that alterations in hormonal homeostasis may ultimately affect the availability of carbohydrates. The levels of micro-elements in _E. heros_ hemolymph fluctuate after exposure to pyriproxyfen, and similar effects have been observed in other pests due to physiological stress caused by factors such as parasitism [22]. Some micro-elements, such as heavy metals, can induce tolerance in insect pests to additional insecticide exposure. This cross-tolerance is primarily due to enhanced metabolic resistance, where detoxifying enzymes become more active or are expressed at higher levels [57]. In a previous study with sublethal pyriproxyfen in _E. heros_ on macro-element levels, it was possible to observe a uniform variation, and exposure to the growth regulator caused a general increase in hemolymph macro-elements, such as phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulfur (S), chloride (Cl), and calcium (Ca) [21]. Similar results were found in the hemolymph of the garden butterfly _Acraea horta_ (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) [23]. In both studies, the observed trend was that variations varied between females and males, leading to the conclusion that the insecticide's effect on circulating element composition was sex-related; that is, it may have affected the reproductive system or dimorphic physiological components. The activity of pyriproxyfen on the micro-elements of _E. heros_ was variable between males and females only in the copper (Cu) analysis, increasing in treated males, which indicates a specific imbalance in the homeostasis of this element.