Biological Control Strategies for Insect Parasitoids
Summary
Insect parasitoids occupy a central position in sustainable pest management, exploiting intimate host–parasitoid relationships to suppress pest populations with minimal non-target effects. Classical biological control introduces specialist parasitoids to novel regions, while augmentative approaches rear and release large numbers of parasitoids to achieve rapid pest suppression. Conservation strategies enhance the efficiency of indigenous parasitoids by modifying habitat structure, providing floral resources or shelter and reducing broad-spectrum pesticide use. Key technological innovations focus on mass-rearing systems that ensure high-quality cohorts, on-demand synchronisation of life cycles and strategic storage of developmental stages. Cold storage and induced quiescence have emerged as pivotal tools for maintaining stockpiles of parasitoids and improving release flexibility. Advances in understanding diapause regulation, host-mediated performance and symbiotic interactions now inform selective breeding programmes aimed at optimising field persistence, host-location behaviour and climatic resilience. Together, these strategies support integrated pest management frameworks that reconcile crop protection with biodiversity conservation and the reduction of chemical inputs.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Recent studies have demonstrated that cold-induced quiescence can be employed to synchronise the production and release of egg-parasitoid wasps. Laboratory trials showed that prepupal stages of Trichogramma evanescens and T. chilonis enter a reversible state of quiescence when held at 4 °C, allowing storage for up to 30 days without measurable declines in parasitism rate, adult emergence, sex ratio or progeny quality. Beyond 30 days, general productivity gradually diminishes, yet eggs parasitised by these species remain viable for field application following storage of up to 60 days, thereby enhancing the logistical flexibility of inundative releases.
Biological Control Strategies for Insect Parasitoids publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in biological control strategies for insect parasitoids across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Augmentative biological control: the release of mass-reared natural enemies to bolster existing populations for rapid pest suppression.
Cold storage: the application of low temperatures to developmental stages to delay maturation and synchronise releases.
Endoparasitoid: a parasitoid whose larva develops within the host body, consuming internal tissues.
Inundative release: the deployment of large numbers of parasitoids in a short period to achieve immediate pest control.
Quiescence: a reversible state of metabolic arrest induced by environmental cues, distinct from programmed diapause.
References
- Effects of low temperatures on quiescence in Trichogramma evanescens Westwood and T. chilonis Ishii reared on Plodia interpunctella (Hübner): implications for mass rearing. Scientific Reports (2024).
- Effect of Cold Storage on the Quality of Psyttalia incisi (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a Larval Parasitoid of Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae). Insects (2021).
- Effect of cold storage temperature on quality of the parasitoid, Trichogrammatoidea bactrae Nagaraja (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). Egyptian Journal of Biological Pest Control (2020).
- Effect of Pupal Cold Storage on Reproductive Performance of Microplitis manilae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a Larval Parasitoid of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Insects (2022).
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