Exploration for Entomopathogens

Foreign and domestic exploration for entomopathogens continues to provide candidate species for microbial control with environmental tolerances and host ranges that are appropriate for the systems in which they are used, as well as greater virulence and other beneficial traits. Pathogens that are useful as biological control agents have been discovered by fortuitous accident infecting insect colonies and in field collections, and in purposeful searches of exotic hosts and their relatives in the area of invasion, as well as in their area of origin. Some of these pathogens have been commercially developed as microbial pesticides. Case studies in this chapter highlight numerous successes in control of pest species with pathogens discovered in targeted explorations. New molecular and analytic techniques have the potential to increase the efficiency of pathogen exploration and identification.