Biological Pest Control in Agroecosystems

This reprint addresses the impact of insect pests on agricultural crops and highlights biological control as an alternative to the use of insecticides. Insect pests cause damage to the production and quality of agricultural products, in addition to environmental and human health problems due to the intensive use of pesticides. However, there are natural enemies of these pests—such as predators, parasites and pathogens—that contribute to controlling insect populations, maintaining ecological balance in agroecosystems. This edition features 10 scientific articles that address topics related to the use of natural enemies, their behavior in relation to pests in agroecosystems, as well as their characteristics and effectiveness.