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Human disturbance of ecology ecological systems, particularly the development of monoculture and the movement of species tends to stimulate pest problems by reducing biodiversity which usually has natural controls that keep pest populations in line. Biological pest control does not seek to eradicate pests, but to keep them to economically ...
Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, whether pest animals such as insects and mites, weeds, or pathogens affecting animals or plants by using other organisms. [1] It relies on predation , parasitism , herbivory , or other natural mechanisms, but typically also involves an active human management role.
By the 1960s, problems of resistance to chemicals and damage to the environment began to emerge, and biological control had a renaissance. Chemical pest control is still the predominant type of pest control today, although a renewed interest in traditional and biological pest control developed towards the end of the 20th century and continues ...
Risk assessment usually includes four issues: 1) characterization of biological control agents, 2) health risks, 3) environmental risks and 4) efficacy. [23] Mistaken identification of a pest may result in ineffective actions.
Like most invasive plants, once garlic mustard is introduced into a new location, it persists and spreads into undisturbed plant communities. In many areas of its introduction in Eastern North America, it has become the dominant under-story species in woodland and flood plain environments, where eradication is difficult.
Examples are included below, but because of its importance to rice, outbreaks of the brown planthopper were intensively studied. The differential mortality of the pests and their natural enemies (spiders, parasitoids , predatory bugs , etc. ) was a major factor causing outbreaks.
For example, larvicides can be used in mosquito breeding zones; insecticides can be applied to house walls or bed nets, and use of personal repellents can reduce incidence of insect bites and thus infection. The use of pesticides for vector control is promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and has proven to be highly effective. [7]
Encarsia formosa, an endoparasitic wasp, was one of the first biological control agents developed. Some species of bee are beneficial as pollinators, although generally only efficient at pollinating plants from the same area of origin, facilitating propagation and fruit production for many plants. This group includes not only honeybees, but ...