Information and more pages are being added to this site on an ongoing basis.

Welcome to this Cornell University World Wide Web site! This guide provides photographs and descriptions of biological control (or biocontrol) agents of insect, disease and weed pests in North America. It is also a tutorial on the concept and practice of biological control and integrated pest management (IPM). Whether you are an educator, a commercial grower, a student, a researcher, a land manager, or an extension or regulatory agent, we hope you will find this information useful. The guide currently includes individual pages of approximately 100 natural enemies of pest species, and we envision continued expansion. On each of these pages you will see photographs, descriptions of the life cycles and habits, and other useful information about each natural enemy.

Four types of natural enemies are included in this guide and the guide logo shows, with links, representatives of each of the types. Clicking on any of the four parts of the logo, wherever it appears, will allow navigation to that section of the guide.

Parasitoids. This wasp is laying its egg inside an aphid where its young will develop. Parasitoid immatures develop on or inside a host, killing it as they mature. They emerge as adults and continue the cycle.	Predators. Lady beetles are well-known examples of predatory insects. A predator consumes many prey during its lifetime. The predators listed in this guide feed on insects and mites.	Pathogens. This nematode is just one example of a pathogen which may kill its host. Other pathogens include bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa. This section also includes antagonists which control plant diseases.	Weed Feeders. Weeds can be attacked by arthropods, vertebrates, and pathogens (fungi, viruses, bacteria, and nematodes). This weevil feeds only on one particular type of weed called purple loosestrife.

Researchers are encouraged to contribute their expertise to this biological control Web site. Credit will be given. Contact Dr. Tony Shelton (ams5@cornell.edu).

• Table of Contents
• SEARCH (this site)
• About the Editors
• Other WWW Biological Control Sites

No endorsement of named or illustrated products is intended, nor is criticism implied of similar products that are not mentioned or illustrated.

This project was funded, in part, by the National Biological Control Institute and Communication Services and the Department of Entomology at Cornell's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station. Funding is welcome from other sources who will also be recognized for their contributions.

Acknowledgements: The New York State Agricultural Experiment Station (NYSAES), part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University, has been instrumental in WWW publication of this project. Thanks to NYSAES Communications Services designer Elaine Gotham for graphic design and director Linda McCandless for shaping the project into a cohesive whole. Peter McDonald and Ben Shelton of the NYSAES Library and John Zakour of Communications Services have provided creative suggestions and much needed technical assistance. We are also very grateful to the help provided by Yaxin Li over the years. In addition, many researchers throughout Cornell have contributed suggestions, photographs, information, and other help. The resulting document is a group effort.

Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

©All material is protected by Section 107 of the 1976 copyright law.
Copyright is held by Cornell University.
Use of this material for educational purposes is encouraged. Please notify the editors of such use and cite the author (if credited on the page you are using). A recommended form for citing this website is:

Weeden, C.R., A. M. Shelton, and M. P. Hoffman. Biological Control: A Guide to Natural Enemies in North America.
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/ accessed (date).

Suggestions, corrections, and/or comments are appreciated: Contact Tony Shelton (ams5@nysaes.cornell.edu).

Last modified March 13th, 2007.
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/