ENTOMO-PATHOGENIC NEMATODES: A POTENTIAL TOOL FOR BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF TICK(S)

Entomopathogenic nematodes have been recovered worldwide and are likely to be globally distributed and are essentially ubiquitous. EPNs are among the beneficial bio-control agents that are frequently used for pests control in agriculture, forestry and health. As bio-control agents, they possess the advantages of having a broad host range and no known negative effect on both environment and non-targeted organisms. They can search and kill their hosts rapidly, are easily massed produced in vivo and in vitro, are susceptible to genetic selection of desirable traits and, are easily applied using conventional equipment. In addition, they can be used with many chemical or biological pesticides or adjuvants. In contrast, their disadvantages are that their broad host range can possibly include beneficial insects, are poorly tolerant to environmental conditions such as soil moisture content, UV radiation and have limited shelf-life.