Natural control strategies that employ biological agents for pest suppression are generally classified as biological control tactics. In conventional usage, this term usually refers to the practice of rearing and releasing natural enemies: parasites, predators, or pathogens. A slightly broader definition of "biocontrol" includes any related management activity that is designed to protect or conserve natural enemies.
Biocontrol agents include a wide variety of life forms, including vertebrates, invertebrates, fungi, and microorganisms. These beneficial species are common in most natural communities and, although their presence is often unnoticed, they help maintain the "balance of nature" by regulating the density of their host or prey population. Insect species often become "pests" when this ecological balance is disrupted by natural events or human intervention. Biological pest control strives to reestablish this balance in one of three ways:
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