Challenges in the Applied Use of Parasitoids to Control Agricultural Pests

Parasitoids are organisms with a very interesting habit in which free-living adult females lay eggs on or inside the body of other insects. The larvae develop by feeding on the body of this host resulting in its death. This behavior is essential for successful pest control and organisms with this behavior have been used widely in biological control programs. The order that covers the largest number of known and studied parasitoids is Hymenoptera and this will be the focus of the chapter. However, from natural biological control to the applied use of these organisms, many challenges are presented.