Biological Pest Control Measures

                                                                                         

Eliminating unwanted pests, usually by introducing natural enemies, is categorized as biological pest control. Enemies like predators, parasites and pathogens are reared and released in the natural living environment of a pest, resulting in slow but sure destruction of them.

However, some factors determine the success or failure of bio control measures employed. Introduction of predators which kill and eat many kinds of pests may not help greatly in areas where other kinds of prey are also easily available. The introduced natural enemies should also be able to acclimatize themselves with the climate of their new habitat quickly. The life cycle of the enemy should also be in consonance with that of the prey. Another important characteristic an introduced creature must have is a very high level of reproduction potential. This holds true in the case of enemy parasites. A parasite completes many generations before the prey completes even one generation, making it highly necessary for the parasite to have excellent reproductive qualities in order to be effective against pests.

Creatures with better abilities to locate their prey have much potential in exterminating pests. Efficient natural enemies with higher reproduction levels and higher capability for locating and feeding on pests can be very hands in the fight against them. High survivability, even when availability of prey is at the lowest, is the biggest quality a natural enemy should have. Due to the lack of this ability, many natural enemies, after exterminating its prey pest, starve to death, which in turn help in the recovery of pest population.

However, care needs to be taken to ensure that the balance of nature is not disrupted by these introduced species. Many predator introduction plans have gone awry simply because of this lack of balance, but many have worked wonders. However, with its many failures but more successes, biological means are the most efficient and environment friendly pest control measures ever experimented.

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