Propagation and Application of Larval Parasitoids

Abstract

Potential of larval parasitoids through monitoring the abundance, mass production and the field application were aimed and reviewed. There are two larval parasitoid kinds; Endoparasitoids: it develops within the body of their larvae and Ectoparasitoids grows out of larvae bodies. Chemical communication between hosts and larval parasitoids is one of most interested aspects of reciprocal communication between insects. The host scent plays an important role in the attraction for specific larval parasitoids. In general, there are biocontrol agents in nature (field crops, vegetables, fruit orchards and forests), and they have been preventing some species from insect outbreaks. Mass rearing of biocontrol agents contains the production of thousand/millions of insects (host and bio-agent), objectives to control some insect pests. One goal in pest control is to develop managing strategies that kill insect pests without harming the environment or other organisms. An ideal method would be to enhance larval parasitoids to control some insect pest species. This can be accomplished by mass releasing the biological control agents for controlling many of agricultural insect pests. The mass-production and release of beneficial insects are affected by several factors like as supplemental food, environmental conditions and the host. There are many practices which could conserve the larval parasitoids under different ecological conditions such as plant-provided food, food sprays, semiochemicals, and induced plant responses. There are landscape factors affect insect populations and associated natural enemies such as farm scale, crop diversity, pest density, field size and shape and field margins. Combination among larval parasitoids with other biocontrol agents seems to be well suited to protecting many crops, vegetables or fruit orchards from insect infestations. The different biocontrol strategies would use in the appropriate routines against certain insects in large areas. This could result in significant and important synergistic effects on pest population suppression.