ABSTRACT
This chapter discribes the use of insects for biological control of insect and weed pests. Populations of all organisms are regulated in their natural ecosystems by a combination of resource limitation, predation and parasitism. Populations of insects, like other organisms, are regulated in their natural habitats by a combination of resource availability and mortality to predators and parasites. Native generalist predators tend to feed on suitable prey species that are most abundant, that is, in proportion to the frequency of encounter. A variety of crop, forest and greenhouse pests have been successfully controlled with biological control agents. A number of parasitic wasps in the families Aphelinidae, Braconidae, Encyrtidae, Ichneumonidae, Myrmaridae, Pteromalidae and Trichogrammidae have been used successfully in biological control for aphid, whitefly, scale insect, lepidopteran and coleopteran pests. The ant-decapitating fly, Pseudacteon litoralis was introduced from Argentina to control invasive red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta, in the southern USA.
