To be most effective at controlling a pest, a biological control agent requires a colonizing ability which allows it to keep pace with changes to the habitat in space and time. Control is greatest if the agent has temporal persistence so that it can maintain its population even in the temporary absence of the target species, and if it is an opportunistic forager, enabling it to rapidly exploit a pest population.
To be most effective at controlling a pest, a biological control agent requires a colonizing ability which allows it to keep pace with changes to the habitat in space and time Control is greatest if the agent has temporal persistence so that it can maintain its population even in the temporary absence of the target species and if it is an opportunistic fo.rager enabling i,t t,o rapidly exploit a pest population.