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Biological Control

Program Details:

The Biological Control Program is a unit within the Integrated Pest Control Branch, and an integral part of the Department's Division of Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services. The Biological Control Program helps to minimize the economic and environmental impact of noxious invasive weeds and exotic insect pests by facilitating the importation and establishment of their co-evolved natural enemies. Implementation requires the rearing of appropriate natural enemies, testing them for host specificity, their release into the state, and evaluation of their impacts in agricultural, natural, and urban environments. The Program's responsibilities are statewide.

The Program's facility is in northern California, in Sacramento, the State’s capital. It shares a campus with the Department's Plant Pest Diagnostics Center and the Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry. The current Biological Control Program facility houses two senior scientists, two permanent support staff, and two or more temporary, part-time staff. There are two stand-alone greenhouses, and a shared larger greenhouse. The staff have several on-going projects targeting 18 invasive pests (Table 1). Most of these projects are conducted in cooperation with other county, state, and federal agencies, as well as international institutions overseas. Funding of the program comes primarily from the State's general fund but is also supported by Federal and Industry funding in the form of grants, agreements, and contracts.

Cole crop field being surveyed for Bagrada Bug and Bagrada Bug egg predators/parasites

Psyttalia ponerophaga (Silvestri, 1916) searching for Olive Fruit Fly larvae

Camera setup for monitoring predators and parasitoids of Brown Marmorated Stink Bug eggs in situ. More information.

Preparing to monitor water hyacinth for biocontrol agent infestation levels

Olive plants growing in large greenhouse in preparation for Olive Psyllid biocontrol trials

Examining parasitoid behavior and infestation levels in the USDA permitted quarantine facility