Biological pest control uses living organisms to reduce pest populations. There are three types of biological control strategies - importation, augmentation, and conservation. Importation involves introducing a pest's natural enemies into an area where they are not found naturally. Augmentation supplements existing natural enemy populations through additional releases. Conservation enhances conditions for natural enemies to survive and reproduce. Common natural enemies used in biological control include predators, parasites, and pathogens.

1. .
1

2. “The use of living organisms to suppress the
population of a specific pest organism, making
it less abundant or less damaging than it would
otherwise be”
2

3.  Natural enemies are living organisms that:
 Kill pests
 Decrease pest reproductive potential
 Compete with pest organisms for use of your
plants.
3

4. 1) Predators
2) Parasites
3) Pathogens
 Sterilization
4

5.  There are three basic types of biological pest
control strategies:
 importation (sometimes called classical
biological control),
 augmentation and conservation.
 Importation:
 Importation involves the introduction of a
pest's natural enemies to a new locale where
they do not occur naturally.
5

6.  Classical biological control is long lasting and
inexpensive. Other than the initial costs of collection,
importation, and rearing, little expense is incurred.
When a natural enemy is successfully established it
rarely requires additional input and it continues to kill
the pest with no direct help from humans and at no
cost. However importation does not always work. It is
usually most effective against exotic pests and less so
against native insect pests. The reasons for failure are
not often known but may include the release of too
few individuals, poor adaptation of the natural enemy
to environmental conditions at the release location,
and lack of synchrony between the life cycle of the
natural enemy and host pest.
6

7.  Augmentation involves the supplemental
release of natural enemies, boosting the
naturally occurring population.
7

8.  enhance conditions for existing natural
enemy survival and reproduction.
8

9. 9
 Predators
 Predators are mainly free-living species that
directly consume a large number
of prey during their whole lifetime.
 Ladybugs, and in particular their larvae which
are active between May and July in the
northern hemisphere, are voracious predators
of aphids, and will also consume mites, scale
insects and small caterpillars.
 Dragonflies are important predators of
mosquitoes.

10. Lady bird beetle
(ladybug)
Larva
eating
aphids

11.  Parasitoids lay their eggs on or in the body of
an insect host, which is then used as a food
for developing larvae. The host is ultimately
killed. Most insect parasitoids are wasps
or flies, and usually have a very narrow host
range.
11

12. 12

13. 13

14. 14

15.  Pathogenic micro-organisms
include bacteria, fungi, and viruses. They kill
or debilitate their host and are relatively
host-specific. Various microbial insect
diseases occur naturally, but may also be
used asbiological pesticides
15

16. 16
Insect Mummy covered with Fungal
Spores
Infected Larva
Viral fluid

17. 17

18.  high level of control at low cost
 self-perpetuating at little cost after initial effort
 very few harmful effects on man, environment etc
 some NE’s reproduce rapidly
 some NE’s search out hosts
 some NE’s survive even at low host densities
18

19. • Not effective against Direct Pests
 where any damage is unacceptable
• Some level of damage occurs and must
be acceptable
• Must be implemented over large areas
• May take years to become effective
19