History

A brief history of a few of the founders of this discipline. A fuller discussion on biological control history will be added soon.

Biological control history is peopled with some legendary folks. I am highlighting four individuals to get us started on the understanding of how biological control methods developed through time. What’s fun is that biological control is such a young science, one that is centered at the University of California, Riverside, for which I have direct evidence and first hand accounts on how the personalities of these legends influenced the way biological control developed into an effective pest management tactic.  Here we have Charles Valentine Riley, Harry Scott Smith, Harold Compere and Paul DeBach. 

C.V. Riley was the United States Department of Agriculture's top entomologist from 1881 to 1894 and the first curator of the Smithsonian's insect collection in 1885.  He also was the first to propose the intentional intercontinental movement of a predator to help control an accidentally introduced agricultural pest. 

Harry Scott Smith is given credit for coining the phrase "biological control", but more importantly, he served in two roles: an administrator during the development of California's Citrus Experiment Station and the University of California, Riverside, and a major player in early biological control research. 

Harold Compere is one of biological control history's most accomplished foreign explorers. His efforts helped bring natural enemies into California that eventually controlled many significant agricultural pests. 

Paul DeBach was a UC Riverside professor and researcher.  Notable accomplishments included writing the first textbook on biological control, conducting the first intercontinental shipment of natural enemies by commercial air travel and extending the reach of biological control education on a global scale.

Biological control research needs to continue. Who will be the next legend?