BIORATIONALS AND BIOTECHNOLOGY-THEIR FUTURE ROLE IN THE CONTROL OF INSECT PESTS IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT

Abstract:
This paper reviews the need for change in the techniques and materials that, until recently, have been the mainstays for dealing with insect infestation in homes, hospitals, food premises and other public buildings. Recent years have already seen the introduction of substantial changes including the increased use of so-called biorational molecules like juvenile hormone analogues and chitin synthesis inhibitors. These insect growth regulators (IGRs) are becoming increasingly important weapons in the battle to control urban insect pests and, their role may become even more prominent in the future. In addition to the introduction of a range of IGRs for public health pest control, we are beginning to see the first real efforts to use biological control (including predators and parasites), but this subject is covered by another paper in this symposium and therefore will receive only passing mention in this presentation. Finally, the novel technologies made available through developments in molecular biology and genetic engineering offer intriguing opportunities for use in future urban pest control strategies. In this paper, I hope to explore some of these possibilities and the potential problems that will influence just how much these new techniques will become a part of future urban pest control techniques.