Methods for use of biological control agents

a. Importation:

• It involves movement of natural enemies from one place to another, usually from one country to another country where natural enemies is not present.
• Suitable candidates are reared and released in the new habitat in hopes that they will become established and suppress the pest population.

b. Augmentation:

• Release of bio-control agent to support existing bio-control agent.
• It involves the rearing and release of natural enemies in order to obtain immediate suppression of a pest population.
• Natural enemies that are unable to survive and/or persist in a new environment can sometimes be reared in large numbers and periodically released to suppress a pest population.

c. Conservation and Encouragement:

• Providing favorable condition as food, habitat, breeding sites for multiplication for bio-control agent.
• Conservation activities might include reducing or eliminating insecticide applications to avoid killing natural enemies, staggering harvest dates in adjacent fields or rows to ensure a constant supply of hosts (prey), or providing shelter, over- wintering sites, or alternative food sources to improve survival of beneficial species.