Identification of Viable Biological Strategies for Pest Management by Simulation Studies

Interdisciplinary research has developed a stochastic computer model for studying interactions between an insect population, its host food crop, and other variables. This population growth model, highly adaptable to any insect and any host crop, is technically characterized by discrete arrivals, infinite servers, and multistage continuous service-time distribution functions. Because steady state is seldom achieved in nature, this paper identifies combinations of critical starting conditions (number of insects and disparate start times for insects and host crops), and critical stages for induced survival rate reductions to minimize crop damage. Sensitivity analyses serve to identify the most promising areas for future entomological research in pest management strategies.