The state of commercial augmentative biological control: plenty of natural enemies, but a frustrating lack of uptake

Augmentative biological control concerns the periodical release of natural enemies. In commercial augmentative biological control, natural enemies are mass-reared in biofactories for release in large numbers to obtain an immediate control of pests. The history of commercial mass production of natural enemies spans a period of roughly 120 years. It has been a successful, environmentally and economically sound alternative for chemical pest control in crops like fruit orchards, maize, cotton, sugar cane, soybean, vineyards and greenhouses. Currently, augmentative biological control is in a critical phase, even though during the past decades it has moved from a cottage industry to professional production. Many…