Introduction of New Natural Enemies: Methods

Carrying out biological control programs based on the introduction of new species of natural enemies involves several steps, each of which contributes to the overall effectiveness of such programs. Many of the technical and biological considerations related to acquiring and shipping entomophagous and phytophagous arthropods have been described by Bartlett and van den Bosch (1964), Boldt and Drea (1980), Klingman and Coulson (1982), Schroeder and Goeden (1986), and Coulson and Soper (1989). This chapter discusses the following steps: (1) conducting the exploration and collection; (2) shipping natural enemies; (3) quarantine processing of foreign material; (4) ensuring the safety of natural enemy introductions; and (5) field colonization of natural enemies and initial program evaluation.