Parasites and pest population management

The presence of macroparasites can affect the pest status of small mammals and the damage they cause. Pest management of small mammal populations can also affect the macroparasite populations, in a positive as well as a negative way. Despite the effects of macroparasites on small mammal fitness, there is little hope for the near future that they can be used for biological control of small mammals, except perhaps for some bio-pesticides. Small mammals and macroparasites interact in complex ways, and the implications for pest management are equally complex.