ABSTRACT
Both exotic and indigenous species of hymenopterous pupal parasites were maintained by the Mosquito and Fly Research Unit at the Insects Affecting Man and Animals Research Laboratory. The house fly developed resistance to chemical control and, with the failure of genetic engineering and the sterile insect technique to provide adequate control, investigators turned their attention to biological control. Life history studies of the parasites were conducted, and a population model was developed for estimating the number of potential pupal hosts in a given area. Population host-parasite relationships were developed so that a predetermined number of parasites could be released to attack a host fly population of a known size with a predicted degree of control. Life history studies, such as daily loss rate, parasite-to-host ratio, sex ratio, and rate of increase, provided the data needed for mass culturing the different species.
