Pest and disease management continues to challenge the agricultural community. The rise in new pest and crop problems juxtaposed with public concern over pesticide use and more stringent environmental regulations creates the need for today's agricultural producers to stay current with new technologies for producing quality crops profitably. Biological and Biotechnological Control of Insect Pests presents an overview of alternative measures to traditional pest management practices, utilizing biological control and biotechnology. The removal of some highly effective broad-spectrum chemicals, caused by concerns over environmental health and public safety, has resulted in the development of alternative, reduced risk crop protection products. These products, less toxic to the environment and easily integrated into biological control systems, target specific life stages or pest species. Predation - recognized as a suitable, long term strategy - effectively suppresses pests in biotechnological control systems. Biological and Biotechnological Control of Insect Pests covers these topics and more. It explores the current approaches in alternative solutions such as: biological control agents, parasites and predators, pathogenic microorganisms, pheromones, botanical insecticides, genetic control, genetic engineering of plants and biocontrol agents, and government regulations for biocontrol agents and recombinant DNA technology. This book will be a useful resource to entomologists, agronomists, horticulturists, and environmental scientists.

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

The subject area embraced by the term "biological control" in its classical sense is very broad indeed. The term itself was apparently first used in 1919 by the late Harry S. Smith, and was then used specifically in reference to the suppression of insect populations by the actions of their indigenous or introduced natural enemies. The California school of biological control specialists who followed in Smith's footsteps have traditionally differentiated "natural" biological control (by indigenous natural enemies) and "applied" biological control (by man-introduced natural enemies). Subsequently, the philosophy broadened beyond the original narrow concern with population suppression of insects (and especially pest insects), to embrace directed activities against mites or other arthropod pests, various invertebrate and vertebrate pests, weeds, and organisms producing disease in humans or their domestic animals and plants. The techniques used in these activities also multiplied beyond the original concern with natural enemies. The subjects area discussed in this book is, at the same time, broader and more restricted than that covered in other books on "biological control. " On the one hand, the treatment here is restrictive in that, with rare exception, we have limited ourselves to dealing only with ideas and examples involving the suppression of insect pests through human activity or intervention in the environment.

The book provides a reference to biological control of arthropod pests in agriculture and of public health importance in Iran. A quick glance over the literature shows a long history of biocontrol attempts in the country. Some historically important events highlighting the interest of Iranian academic, research and extension fields to the natural enemies and their applied aspects are provided. Iran, with an exception of the former USSR, was a pioneer in both basic and applied biocontrol in West Asia. The book consists of four parts: three parts for predators, parasitoids and pathogens, and last part for other approaches and analyses of the current state of biological control in Iran. The book provides the most up-to-date information on pest control and related topics of entomology in Iran. The chapters are written by scholars from major Universities and research centers in Iran.

The Book "e;Biological Control of Insects Pests"e; illustrates how to control biologically the insect's pests. It is important to know when numbers are great enough to justify artificial control and to evaluate the effectiveness of control. The text has been organized very systematically to meet the long-felt needs of increasingly large number of readers. Biological control is the use of living organisms to maintain pest populations below damaging levels. Natural enemies of arthropods fall into three major categories: predators, parasitoids, and pathogens. Predators catch and eat their prey. Some common predatory arthropods include ladybird beetles, carabid (ground) beetles, staphylinid (rove) beetles, syrphid (hover) files, lacewings, minute pirate bugs, nabid bugs, big-eyed bugs, and spiders. Biological control is the beneficial action of parasites, pathogens and predators in managing pests and their damage. Biocontrol provided by these living organisms, collectively known as natural enemies. It is especially important for reducing the number of pest insects and mites. Biological control is the beneficial action of parasites, pathogens, and predators in managing pests and their damage. Biocontrol provided by these living organisms, collectively called "e;natural enemies,"e; is especially important for reducing the numbers of pest insects and mites. Use of natural enemies for biological control of rangeland and wildland weeds is also effective. Plant pathogens, nematodes, and vertebrates also have many natural enemies, but this biological control is often harder to recognize, less well understood, and/or more difficult to manage. Conservation, augmentation, and classical biological control are tactics for harnessing natural enemies' benefits. The book will be highly useful for general entomologists, students of agricultural entomology, teachers and research scholars of zoology, especially entomology.

A concise account examining the historical background of biological control.

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.