Pests present a significant challenge to agriculture by reducing crop yields and quality, spreading diseases, affecting global food availability, and impacting farmers' incomes. Monitoring pests and their correct identification are the most important prerequisites for successful integrated plant protection. To successfully assess the risk of pests, and consequently their suppression, it is important to ensure fast, economical and accurate detection and identification of pests. Many classic methods of detection and identification are indispensable even today, but they do not guarantee absolute accuracy and are often physically and time-consuming. Molecular methods are increasingly used in the detection and study of plant pests, as they enable faster, more sensitive and more quantitative detection of the target organism. They are based on the analysis of genomic or genetic material and enable a better understanding and management of populations of harmful insects, detection of genetic variations and research on resistance to pesticides. The methods are highly sensitive and enable rapid identification in small quantities, reducing the risk of misidentifying species. Despite their advantages, these methods are more expensive due to the need for specialized equipment and require high expertise for application and analysis of results.