Entomologist, Center for Biological Control of Northeastern Forest Insects and Diseases Northeastern Forest Experiment Station

Scientists have known since the 1890s that insects are vulnerable to diseases. However, it was not until the early 1950s that field demonstrations by Steinhouse in California led to the commercial production of biopesticides. The federal government registered the first microbial product in 1948, the bacterium Bacillus popillae, to control the Japanese beetle in turf. Although many entomopathogens of insects have been isolated and described, only a few have any real potential as microbial pesticides. Interest in microbials has accelerated since the late 1960s for several reasons: 1 environmental concerns due to dependence on chemical pesticides and their effect on groundwater pollution, residues on food crops, and nontarget organisms; Z development of resistance to chemicals; 3 interest in integrated pest management; and 4 recent developments in biotechnology; i.e., recombinant DNA technology.