Augmentative Biocontrol

What Is Augmentative Biocontrol?

In augmentative biocontrol, a grower or pest manager applies living organisms to manage a pest (Stenberg et al. 2021). Augmentative biocontrol is different from classical biocontrol and conservation biocontrol, as it typically requires recurring application of the biocontrol species. Augmentative biocontrol can be an excellent tool in your pest management toolbox depending on your crop and pest species.

Using This Resource

The goal of this resource is to help you implement your own augmentative biocontrol program, meeting you where you are. The process is broken into several steps, each building upon the last. Feel free to explore the whole site or to choose the starting point that best matches your needs.

This website focuses on the following crop systems and biocontrol agents:

Indoor growing (greenhouse vegetables, floriculture, and ornamentals)
Biocontrol agents that are:
- insect parasitoids
- insect and noninsect arthropod predators
- entomopathogenic nematodes

The following fall under the broad umbrella of bioprotective resources, but are not addressed in this resource:

Biopesticides
Bioactive products
Biofertilizers
Biostimulants
Entomopathogenic fungi and viruses
RNA interference

The “ABCs” of Augmentative Biocontrol

What Augmentative Biocontrol CAN Do

The benefits of augmentative biocontrol are many and include:

Reduced pest pressure from certain types of pests
Reduced reliance on pesticides, which may reduce costs and risks, such as pesticide resistance, loss of available products, human and environmental health
Use of the whole integrated pest management toolbox
Sustainable pest management – opportunity to be more creative and insightful and learn more about your system
Excellent advertisement opportunities to demonstrate sustainable practices

What Augmentative Biocontrol CAN’T Do

Nothing is a true “silver bullet” (solve all) in pest management (including pesticides!). While augmentative biological control can aid in controlling pests, situations can arise that require additional tools. Augmentative biological control cannot:

Completely eradicate all pest problems in your system
Guarantee that you will never need to use pesticides again
Be a onetime release and never thought of again
Work for every crop or in all environmental conditions
Work with every pesticide – systems need to be adapted or timed specifically to work in each situation

Upcoming Research and Crop Availability

While this guide focuses only on indoor augmentative biocontrol, researchers are working on adapting the systems for outdoors. Dispersal of biocontrol agents is one of the limiting factors to outdoor use, and work includes tractor-mounted applicators and the application of environmentally resistant stages, such as insect pupae. Labor may be another limiting factor, and researchers are investigating opportunities for automated application. Current research on outdoor crops includes:

Sweet Corn
Peppers
Citrus
Strawberries
Lettuce
Turf
Manure Fly Control
Theme Parks

Common Terms and Concepts Associated With Augmentative Biocontrol

Different terms for augmentative biocontrol have been developed that sometimes can be confusing. This glossary should help you navigate resources and conversations about biocontrol.

Augmentative Biocontrol – human application of mass-reared biocontrol agents, temporarily augmenting their population densities in a targeted area. Sometimes referred to as inundative biological control or inoculative biological control, which are subcategories referring to whether the released organisms will reproduce or not. (Source: Stenberg et al. 2021)
Bioprotection – protection provided by all tools of biological origin for management of pests, pathogens, and weeds. This is an umbrella term that includes all types of biological control and protection from other nonliving substances. (Source: Stenberg et al. 2021)
Integrated Pest Management – an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of commonsense practices (Source: United States Environmental Protection Agency)
Sustainable Pest Management – a holistic, whole-system approach applicable in agricultural and other managed ecosystems and urban and rural communities that builds on the concept of integrated pest management (IPM) to include the wider context of the three sustainability pillars, including human health and social equity, environmental protections, and economic vitality (Source: California Department of Pesticide Regulation).

Step-by-Step Overview of Augmentative Biocontrol

The goal of this resource is to guide you through the steps that are needed to integrate a successful augmentative biocontrol program into your pest management program, no matter your level of understanding. The overview below can help you to work your way through the process of building a successful augmentative biocontrol program, no matter your starting point.

Read through these questions to determine what step you should start at, and then click on a step to navigate to resources that will guide you through this process.

Step 1: Assess Your Current Pest Management Program & Needs

Do you use integrated pest management (IPM), and how well is it functioning?
What pests do you currently have, and are they compatible with augmentative biocontrol?
What species and cultivars of crops do you grow and how might they affect biocontrol outcomes?
What pesticides are used, and are they compatible with biocontrol agents?
Do you have effective systems for monitoring, identification, communication, and recordkeeping?

Step 2: Manage Your Expectations of Augmentative Biocontrol

Are you aware that augmentative biocontrol is not a quick fix or silver bullet?
Have you considered that outcomes may be less immediate or measurable than with pesticides?
Are you ready to adapt your existing systems (scouting, timing, inputs) to accommodate biocontrol?
Have you thought about how you’ll measure “success” beyond eradication?
Are you committed to iterative learning and long-term improvement?

Step 3: Build Your Augmentative Biocontrol Toolbox & Network

Do you have connections with other growers using biocontrol that you can learn from?
Have you identified trustworthy biocontrol suppliers and shipping partners?
Have you drafted a budget that includes both onetime and recurring costs?
Do you have SOPs for receiving, storing, and releasing biocontrol agents?
Are your staff prepared for recordkeeping, quality checks, and weekly reviews?

Step 4: Prepare Your Facility and Staff

Have you developed a clear delivery and deployment schedule for biocontrols?
Have all staff been trained in pest ID, scouting, and the goals of the program?
Is your facility equipped for proper storage and handling of live agents?
Do you have clear protocols in place for release methods and post-release scouting?
Have you considered how you’ll communicate your use of biocontrols to customers (e.g., signage, FAQs)?

Step 5: Begin Augmentative Biocontrol in One Crop

Are you starting with a crop that’s well-suited to biocontrol and low risk?
Have you conducted pre-release scouting to establish a pest baseline?
Are you maintaining regular records on pest levels, releases, and observations?
Are you performing quality control checks before and after releases?
Have you scheduled weekly team check-ins to assess progress and troubleshoot issues?

Step 6: Scaling and Strengthening Your Biocontrol System

Are you keeping up with new research, suppliers, or tools that could improve your program?
How will you evaluate whether a supplier relationship is still meeting your needs?
Are there opportunities to scale to more crops or introduce additional agents?
How are you building internal expertise (e.g., staff skills, in-house SOPs)?
Are you prepared to critically evaluate new technologies before adopting them?

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