Augmentative-biological-control
Guides
Acerophagus
Acerophagus is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Encyrtidae, first described by Smith in 1880. Species in this genus are primary endoparasitoids of mealybugs (Pseudococcidae), with several species employed in classical and augmentative biological control programs worldwide. The genus includes notable species such as A. papayae, which has been successfully used to manage the invasive papaya mealybug (Paracoccus marginatus) across Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Members exhibit koinobiont development and variable reproductive strategies including arrhenotokous parthenogenesis.
Anagyrus
Anagyrus is a large genus of parasitic wasps in the family Encyrtidae, containing at least 247 described species distributed worldwide. These wasps are specialized parasitoids primarily targeting mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), with several species commercially important for biological control of agricultural pests. The genus includes notable species such as A. pseudococci, A. lopezi, and A. vladimiri, which have been extensively studied and deployed for managing mealybug infestations in crops including cassava, citrus, and grapes. A subgenus, Nesoanagyrus, was established by Beardsley in 1969.
Cephalonomia
Cephalonomia is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Bethylidae, containing over 20 described species. Species within this genus are primarily known as biological control agents targeting beetle pests in stored grain and agricultural systems. C. stephanoderis is extensively used against the coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei) in coffee-producing regions, while C. waterstoni and C. tarsalis target stored product beetles such as Laemophloeus ferrugineus and Oryzaephilus surinamensis. These wasps exhibit idiobiont parasitoid biology, with females attacking host larvae or pupae.
Cryptolaemus
Cryptolaemus is a genus of predatory lady beetles (Coccinellidae) native to eastern Australia, New Guinea, and Indonesia. The genus contains approximately 40 species, with Cryptolaemus montrouzieri being the most widely known and commercially important. Both larvae and adults prey primarily upon mealybugs and other scale insects. C. montrouzieri has been introduced globally as a biological control agent and is commonly known as the mealybug destroyer.
Delphastus
whitefly destroyers
Delphastus is a genus of small predatory lady beetles in the family Coccinellidae, tribe Serangiini. The genus contains approximately 7-20 described species, with several species commercially utilized as biological control agents of whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in agricultural and ornamental systems. Species such as D. catalinae, D. pusillus, and D. pallidus are well-documented predators of immature whitefly stages, feeding on eggs and nymphs of multiple whitefly species including Bemisia tabaci, B. argentifolii, Trialeurodes vaporariorum, and Singhiella simplex. The genus is characterized by specialized predatory behavior on whiteflies, with documented functional response curves and prey preferences varying by species and whitefly life stage.
Dicyphini
Dicyphini is a tribe of plant bugs in the subfamily Bryocorinae (family Miridae). Members are predominantly zoophytophagous, combining predation on agricultural pests with facultative plant feeding. Several species are commercially used as biological control agents in greenhouse vegetable production, particularly for whiteflies and lepidopteran pests on tomato and other Solanaceae crops. The tribe includes subtribes Dicyphina, Monaloniina, and Odoniellina, with genera such as Dicyphus, Macrolophus, Nesidiocoris, and Engytatus.
Habrobracon
Habrobracon is a genus of minute parasitoid wasps in the family Braconidae. Species in this genus are ectoparasitoids of moth caterpillars, with Habrobracon hebetor being the most extensively studied and commercially utilized species. These wasps have been employed in augmentative biological control programs worldwide, particularly in developing countries, to manage stored-product pests and field crop pests without chemical insecticides. The genus has also served as a model organism for radiation biology research due to its remarkable resistance to ionizing radiation.
Habrobracon hebetor
Habrobracon hebetor is a minute braconid wasp and gregarious ectoparasitoid of lepidopteran larvae. Females paralyze host caterpillars with venom and lay up to 45 eggs externally on the host body; larvae feed on host hemolymph, leaving only the cuticle. One generation develops in 9–14 days under optimal conditions of 25–30°C and 70–80% relative humidity. The species is widely used in augmentative biological control programs against stored-product pests and field crop pests, with mass-reared releases achieving 70–90% biological efficacy. It exhibits high genetic diversity across geographic populations and can enter diapause for cold storage.
Rhynocoris
Flower Assassin Bugs
Rhynocoris is a genus of assassin bugs in the family Reduviidae, subfamily Harpactorinae. Species occur across Asia, mainland Europe, Africa, and North America. The genus exhibits subsocial behavior with parental care of egg masses, a trait that has evolved independently only six times in Heteroptera. Multiple species have been investigated as biological control agents for agricultural pests, particularly in cotton and other crop systems.
Rhyzobius lophanthae
purple scale predator, scale-eating ladybird
Rhyzobius lophanthae is a small coccidophagous ladybird beetle native to Queensland and Southern Australia, widely introduced as a biological control agent. Adults and larvae prey on armored scales (Diaspididae) and mealybugs, with younger larvae crawling beneath protective scale covers to feed on nymphs. The species has established populations across the southern United States since its 1892 introduction to California, as well as in Europe and Pacific islands including Guam and Rota. It exhibits temperature-dependent development with optimal reproductive performance at 28°C.
Telenomus podisi
Telenomus podisi is an egg parasitoid wasp first described by William Harris Ashmead in 1893. It is a primary natural enemy of stink bugs (Pentatomidae), with Euschistus heros documented as its principal host. The species has been extensively studied for biological control applications in soybean and other agricultural systems, particularly in Brazil. Laboratory studies demonstrate that females can form olfactory memories during immature development, with learned preferences persisting up to 72 hours post-emergence. The species is susceptible to several insecticides including imidacloprid, which is lethal, while some organic products show greater selectivity.
Trichogramma
Trichogramma wasps, egg parasitoid wasps
Trichogramma is a genus of minute polyphagous wasps that are endoparasitoids of insect eggs. With over 200 species worldwide, it is one of approximately 80 genera in the family Trichogrammatidae. These wasps are among the most extensively studied and widely used biological control agents globally, with more than a thousand published papers on their biology and applications. Trichogramma species have also gained attention in neuroscience research due to their extremely small brain size—fewer than 10,000 neurons—while still exhibiting complex behaviors.
biological-controlegg-parasitoidintegrated-pest-managementneuroscience-modelWolbachiamass-rearingagricultural-pest-managementChalcidoideaTrichogrammatidaeaugmentative-biological-controlinundative-releasesustainable-agriculturerice-pest-managementcotton-pest-managementorchard-pest-managementforest-pest-managementparthenogenesischemosensory-biologyminiaturizationbrain-evolution