van Lenteren, J.C. 2003b Commercial availability of biological control agents.. Quality Control and Production of Biological Control Agents CABI Publishing Wallingford, UK 327 pp.

Notes: The commercial use of biological control has seen a very fast development during the past 30 years. Currently, about 85 companies worldwide produce more than 125 species of natural enemies. The largest variety of commercially produced species of natural enemies is available in Europe, although many species are also available in North America. Emerging markets are Latin America, Asia and South Africa. The most commonly sold natural enemies are discussed in this chapter. The recommended release rates, the unit of sale and the target pest(s) are specified. In addition, a list of the commercially available biocontrol agents is provided, together with the target pests and the year of first use. Insects listed as pests include Pseudococcidae, Diaspididae, Coccidae, Icerya purchasi, Matsucoccus feytaudi, Phenacoccus manihoti and Planococcus citri.