Invasive insect pests are a major cause of crop loss and declines to forest health and can adversely affect food security and production and ecosystem stability. In the USA, crop and forest production losses from invasive insect species have been estimated at US$27 billion per year. Biological control is a powerful tool for regulating population densities of invasive species and has been used successfully to control insects of agricultural and ecological importance. To date, over 2,500 species of natural enemies have been introduced across ~200 countries for control of invasive pests. Biological control is a powerful population management tool and greatly reduces our dependence on pesticides. Although the benefits of biological control are well recognized, the process of developing a biological control program is complicated and minimizing risk to non-target species is paramount. This symposium focuses on processes required for the development and implementation of classical biological control programs targeting invasive insect species. Understanding the fundamental aspects of the ecology and behavior of biocontrol agents and their hosts supports early stages of program development and assessing project outcomes. Foreign exploration, host-range and host specificity testing, evaluation of interspecific competition, behavior, and elucidation of basic life history traits and life cycles of natural enemies are necessary for selection and evaluation of potential biocontrol agents. To meet these objectives, we have selected speakers who are tackling a diverse array of high-profile invasive insect species that have potential for control with natural enemies.
