This practical guide covers the identification and biology of beneficial organisms that control pests. Growers, pest control advisers, landscape professionals, home gardeners, pest management teachers and students, and anyone fascinated by natural enemies and their prey should find this book useful for finding, identifying and using natural enemies to control pests in almost any agricultural crop, garden or landscape. "The Natural Enemies Handbook" is illustrated with 180 colour photographs and 140 rendered drawings, showing hundreds of predators, parasites and pathogens that attack pest insects, mites, nematodes, plant pathogens and weeds. The Quick Guide allows readers to locate natural enemies that they are likely to find on almost any crop or in the garden and landscape. They can then go to the main text for clear, detailed information. Natural enemies are organisms that kill, decrease the reproductive potential or otherwise reduce the numbers of other organisms. Biological control is the practical use of natural enemies to manage pests. Living natural enemies are the agents of biological control.
Virtually every pest has natural enemies that reduce its populations under certain circumstances. The book features chapters on biological control of plant pathogens, nematodes and weeds as well as individual chapters on parasites, predators and pathogens of arthropods. References, suppliers and a comprehensive index make this a detailed source book.