Definition
noun
A method of controlling insect population, such as by chemical, biological, or other means
Supplement
There are several insects that are considered as pests because they are destroying important crops and plants. Apart from crop destruction, some insects are carriers of disease, e.g. mosquitoes that cause malaria and dengue fever.
There are different ways of controlling insect pests. One of them is by using chemical pesticides. For instance, Ips sexdentatus, a pine engraver beetle, are killed by spraying pine logs with insecticide. The problem with chemical pesticides (or insecticides) is the possibility of producing resistant strains and eventually become less effective over time. Another way of controlling insects is by biological control agents. Biological control is a method of controlling a group of organisms (e.g. pests) with another set of organisms (e.g. natural predators of the former). Biological control may makes use of parasitism, predation, or herbivory. In this regard, the natural foes of insects are diverse. Larvae of Cotesia congregata (a wasp species), for example, are a parasitoid of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta. Another example is the larvae of lady beetles. They are active predators of aphids, especially between the months of May and July.
See also:
- insect
- biological control
