PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Insect Sci.
Sec. Invasive Insect Species
Volume 5 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/finsc.2025.1552361
Increasing the Use of Biological Pesticides in Integrated Pest Management Programs
Provisionally accepted
- Invasive Species Corporation, Davis, United States
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While biopesticides have been around for seventy years, starting with Bacillus thuringiensis bioinsecticides they are experiencing rapid growth as the products have gotten better and more science-based and there are more restrictions on synthetic chemical pesticides. Growth of biopesticides is projected to continue to outpace that of chemical pesticides, with compounded annual growth rates of 10-20% versus single digits for chemicals. When integrated into pest management programs, biopesticides offer the potential for higher crop yields and quality than chemical-only programs. Added benefits include reduction or elimination of chemical residues, therefore easing export, delay in the development of resistance by pests and pathogens to chemicals, shorter field re-entry, biodegradability and lower carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions, and low risk to non-target organisms, including pollinators. But many challenges still exist to drive further adoption of biopesticides. These include lack of awareness and education in how to test and deploy their unique modes of action in integrated programs, resulting in lingering perceptions about performance and cost effectiveness. This article addresses these issues with suggestions how to increase farmer and key influencer confidence in deployment of biologicals in integrated pest management (IPM) programs, including adjusting IPM thresholds and practice based on the modes of action of biopesticides compared to synthetic chemicals.
Keywords: biologicals, Biopesticides, bioprotection, biocontrol, Natural Products, Microbials
Received: 27 Dec 2024; Accepted: 29 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Marrone. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Pamela G Marrone, pam@invasivespeciescorporation.com
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.