Types Of Biological Control

Biological control, sometimes referred to as biocontrol, is the use of predators, parasitoids, competitors, and pathogens to control pests. In biological control, natural enemies are released, managed, or manipulated by humans. Without human intervention, however, natural enemies exert some degree of control on most pest populations. This ongoing, naturally occurring process is termed biotic natural control. Applied biological control produces only a small portion of the total benefits provided by the many natural enemies of pests.
There are three basic approaches to the use of predators, parasitoids, and competitors in insect management. These approaches are (1) classical biological control--the importation and establishment of foreign natural enemies; (2) conservation--the preservation of naturally occurring beneficials; and (3) augmentation--the inundative or inoculative release of natural enemies to increase their existing population levels. Broad definitions of biological control sometimes include the use of products of living organisms (such as purified microbial toxins, plant-derived chemicals, pheromones, etc.) for pest management. Although these products are biological in origin, their use differs considerably from that of traditional biological control agents.