Ancient Origins & Early Observations of Natural Enemies

Because of larger size of insect predators, predation has been more easily observed and recorded than parasitism and disease. Correctly interpreting insect parastism was more difficult, and the development of insect pathology was dependent upon the invention of microscopy.

Records from southern China indicate that weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdinanests have been gathered, sold, and placed in citrus orchards for approximately 2000 years. Paul DeBach (University of California) observed this practice in Burma during the 1970s. Similarly, date growers in Yemen placed colonies of predatory ants in date palms for insect control. The beneficial apects of coccinellid predation has been recognized in Europe since the 13th century.

The earliest recorded observations in western Europe of insect parasitism occurred during the 1600s. In 1602 Aldrovandi recorded observations of parasitic larvae of Apanteles (Cotesia) glomeratusexiting from cabbage butterfly (Pieris rapae) and spinning external cocoons. However, he misinterpreted these cocoons as butterfly eggs. It wasn't until 1670 that Martin Lister correctly interpreted insect parasitism in a letter published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London.