Biological control for pest management involves which of the following?

Biological control for pest management involves which of the following?

• A. Encouraging predators and parasites that feed on pest animals to control pest populations. Once the beneficial organism is established, biological control is self-sustaining. Genetically modified mosquitoes are another biological control.
• B. Using chemical pesticides as the primary method.
• C. Relying exclusively on physical barriers.
• D. Pheromone traps only for containment.

Answer: (A)

Biological control uses living organisms to suppress pest populations by leveraging natural enemies such as predators, parasitoids, and pathogens. When these beneficial organisms are introduced or conserved, they can continue to regulate pests over time, making the control self-sustaining. Some approaches even include modifying the genetics of the pest population or releasing genetically altered individuals (such as GM mosquitoes) to reduce pest numbers or disease transmission, which also falls under biological control. The other methods rely on non-living or chemically-based strategies: chemical pesticides are not biological control; physical barriers block access without involving living enemies; and pheromone traps influence pest behavior for containment rather than reducing the pest population through natural enemies.

Biological control uses living organisms to suppress pest populations by leveraging natural enemies such as predators, parasitoids, and pathogens. When these beneficial organisms are introduced or conserved, they can continue to regulate pests over time, making the control self-sustaining. Some approaches even include modifying the genetics of the pest population or releasing genetically altered individuals (such as GM mosquitoes) to reduce pest numbers or disease transmission, which also falls under biological control. The other methods rely on non-living or chemically-based strategies: chemical pesticides are not biological control; physical barriers block access without involving living enemies; and pheromone traps influence pest behavior for containment rather than reducing the pest population through natural enemies.