Question

One of the major difficulties in the biological control of insect pests is

• A. Practical difficulty of introducing the predator to specific areas.
• B. This method is less effective as compared with the use of insecticides
• C. Predator does not always survive when transferred to a new environment
• D. The predator develops a preference to other diets and may itself become a pest.

Answer 1

The correct option is D The predator develops a preference to other diets and may itself become a pest.

Biological Control is the introduction of living organisms which destroy other harmful organisms. This is a safer and a cheaper way to control the pests and reduce their population. It makes use of the classic prey-predator relationship. For example, to effective control the action of garden snails, one can introduce friendly snakes like the garter snake. However, over time, these predators tend to develop a preference to other diets thus themselves becoming a pest to other organisms. Therefore, it is important to monitor these predators so that they don't end up becoming another problem to solve.