19 Guidelines for Quality Control of

Commercially Produced Natural Enemies

J.C. van Lenteren,^1 A. Hale,^2 J.N. Klapwijk,^3 J. van Schelt^3

and S. Steinberg^4

(^1) Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, PO Box 8031, 6700

EH Wageningen, The Netherlands;^2 The Bug Factory, 1636 East Island Highway,

Nanoose Bay, British Columbia, Canada V9P 9A5;^3 Koppert Biological Systems, PO

Box 155, 2650 AD Berkel and Rodenrijs, The Netherlands;

(^4) Bio-Bee Biological Systems Sde Eliyahu, Bet Shean Valley, 10810 Israel

Introduction

The literature on quality control of mass-
produced arthropods presents several exam-
ples of poorly functioning organisms when
quality control guidelines are not applied or
are neglected (e.g. Chapter 2; Calkins and
Ashley, 1989). Cases where inferior natural
enemies resulted in failure of biological con-
trol are well known among the biocontrol
community, but are seldom published. The

following text, concerning a failure in bio-

control and the way this was solved by

applying quality control, comes from Bigler

(1994):

In Switzerland, Trichogramma brassicaehas been

mass-produced since 1975 and applied

commercially against the European corn borer,

Ostrinia nubilalis, in maize since 1978. A

significant loss in field efficacy was observed in

1980 [Fig. 19.1]. By changing the mass-

production system and the colony

© CAB International 2003. Quality Control and Production of Biological Control Agents:
Theory and Testing Procedures (ed. J.C. van Lenteren) 265

Abstract

Lack of quality control procedures during the mass production of natural enemies may lead to failures in
biological pest control. An example is presented of deteriorating efficiency of a natural enemy before
quality control was applied and the measures that were taken to restore quality. Although some produc-
ers of beneficial insects and mites have applied quality control in one form or another for more than 30
years, it was only during the past 10 years that collaboration between researchers and the biocontrol
industry resulted in the development of the 30 harmonized quality control guidelines that are presented
in this chapter. Most guidelines have been ring-tested by commercial producers; some are still in devel-
opment. For each natural enemy the test conditions and the quality control criteria are given. Finally,
future developments in quality control are discussed, such as the need to develop flight and performance
tests, and the wish of farmers to obtain a set of simple tests for quality control of natural enemies once
they have arrived at the farm.