Biological Control By Natural Enemies

Publisher Description

A concise account examining the historical background of biological control.

"University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Project."

Biological control – utilizing a population of natural enemies to seasonally or permanently suppress pests – is not a new concept. The cottony cushion scale, which nearly destroyed the citrus industry of California, was controlled by an introduced predatory insect in the 1880s. Accelerated invasions by insects and spread of weedy non-native plants in the last century have increased the need for the use of biological control. Use of carefully chosen natural enemies has become a major tool for the protection of natural ecosystems, biodiversity and agricultural and urban environments. This book offers a multifaceted yet integrated discussion on two major applications of biological control: permanent control of invasive insects and plants at the landscape level and temporary suppression of both native and exotic pests in farms, tree plantations, and greenhouses. Written by leading international experts in the field, the text discusses control of invasive species and the role of natural enemies in pest management. This book is essential reading for courses on Invasive Species, Pest Management, and Crop Protection. It is an invaluable reference book for biocontrol professionals, restorationists, agriculturalists, and wildlife biologists. Further information and resources can be found on the Editor’s own website at: www.invasiveforestinsectandweedbiocontrol.info/index.htm

This volume is a revision of Biological Control by R. van den Bosch and P. S. Messenger, originally published by Intext Publishers. In the revision, I have attempted to keep the original theme, and to update it with current research findings and new chapters or sections on insect pathology, microbial control of weeds and plant pathogens, population dynamics, integrated pest management, and economics. The book was written as an undergraduate text, and not as a complete review of the subject area. Various more comprehen sive volumes have been written to serve as handbooks for the experts. This book is designed to provide a concise overview of the complex and valuable field of biological control and to show the relationships to the developing concepts of integrated pest management. Population regulation of pests by natural enemies is the major theme of the book, but other biological methods of pest control are also discussed. The chapter on population dynamics assumes a precalculus-level knowledge of mathematics. Author names of species are listed only once in the text, but all are listed in the Appendix. Any errors or omissions in this volume are my sole responsibility. A. P. Gutierrez Professor of Entomology Division of Biological Control University of California, Berkeley vii Acknowledgments Very special thanks must be given to my colleagues, Professors C. B. Huffaker and L. E. Caltagirone, for the very thorough review they provided and for the many positive suggestions they gave. Dr.

Over the past ten years an increasing number of field entomologists and farmers have recognized that conservation of natural enemies is important to effective biological control in many agricultural systems. This collection addresses an important gap in the biological control literature by providing the first comprehensive summary of recent findings on habitat manipulation to control pests. Enhancing Biological Control includes contributions from experts around the world: the United States, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, People's Republic of China, and Switzerland. Chapters cover habitat modification in such areas as fields, orchards, or vineyards, and along or near the perimeters of fields, including hedges or other uncultivated areas. Generalist and specialist natural enemies are described in full, as are theoretical and practical issues. Experimental designs for studying enhancement come into play, and the editors include a modeling study that explores how the dispersal of natural enemies interacts with the positioning of refuges. This volume is an invaluable source of information to researchers, progressive farmers, and agricultural consultants.

This text provides readers with an in-depth exploration of how biological control functions and how it can be safely employed to solve pest problems and enhance nature conservation. It covers the principles behind biological control techniques and their implementation, and incorporates practical examples from the biological control of a variety of pests. It contains detailed chapters on conserving natural enemies through environmental management, importation of new natural enemies for control of pests, augmentation of natural enemies through rearing and release, and the development and application of pathogens and biopesticides.

This volume is a comprehensive treatment of how the principles of ecology and conservation biology can be used to maximize biological control. Conservation Biological Control presents various means to modify or manipulate the environment to enhance the activities of natural enemies of pests. It establishes a conceptual link between ecology and the agricultural use of agents for biological control, and discusses both theoretical issues as well as practical management concerns. Certain to be interesting to ecologists and entomologists, this volume will also appeal to scientists, faculty, researchers and students interested in pest management, horticulture, plant sciences, and agriculture. Contains chapters by an international team of leading authorities Establishes a conceptual link between ecology and the agricultural use of agents for biological control Discusses both theoretical issues as well as practical management concerns Provides specific examples of how conservation principles are used to maximize the biological control of pests

Feeding on Non-Prey Resources by Natural Enemies Moshe Coll Reports on the consumption of non-prey food sources, particularly plant materials, by predators and parasitoids are common throughout the literature (reviewed recently by Naranjo and Gibson 1996, Coll 1998a, Coll and Guershon, 2002). Predators belonging to a variety of orders and families are known to feed on pollen and nectar, and adult parasitoids acquire nutrients from honeydew and floral and extrafloral nectar. A recent publication by Wäckers et al. (2005) discusses the p- visioning of plant resources to natural enemies from the perspective of the plant, exploring the evolutionary possibility that plants enhance their defenses by recru- ing enemies to food sources. The present volume, in contrast, presents primarily the enemies’ perspective, and as such is the first comprehensive review of the nut- tional importance of non-prey foods for insect predators and parasitoids. Although the ecological significance of feeding on non-prey foods has long been underappreciated, attempts have been made to manipulate nectar and pollen ava- ability in crop fields in order to enhance levels of biological pest control by natural enemies (van Emden, 1965; Hagen, 1986; Coll, 1998a). The importance of n- prey foods for the management of pest populations is also discussed in the book.