control of the red locust, Nomadacris septemfasciata, in 1762 (see Figure 1 ). In 1776, in Europe,
the control of the bedbug, Cimex lectularius, was successfully accomplished by the release of
the predatory pentatomid, Picromerus bidens. Koller was the first to put forth the concept of
“natural control” in 1837 [ 5 ].
Between 1850 and 1887, the concept of biological control switched to the United States. In
1870, Charles V. Riley was the first person to conduct the successful movement of parasit‐
oids for biological control when parasitoids were moved from Kirkwood, Missouri, to other
parts of the United States for the control of the weevil (Conotrachelus menuphar). In 1883, the
US Department of Agriculture (USDA) imported Apanteles glomeratus from England to con‐
trol Pieris rapea (the imported cabbageworm) parasites that were distributed in DC, Iowa,
Nebraska and Missouri. This marked the first intercontinental shipment of parasites. It was
not until the 1800s that well‐thought‐out biological control projects were implemented across
Europe. In 1888, the cottony cushion scale project was launched to control the cottony cushion
scale, Icerya purchase, which was threatening to destroy the infant citrus industry. This was
the first project to be launched. Since then, many projects have been launched including the
gypsy moth project in New England (1905–1911) [ 5 ].
Figure 1. Images of some common parasites/pests (centre cycle) and biological control agents (external cycles) used in
the biocontrol of parasites.
Biological Control of Parasites
http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/6801225