Estimating the Cost of Production of Two Pentatomids and One Braconid for the Biocontrol of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Maize Fields in Florida

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Natural enemies have long been a tool for pest regulation in agricultural systems and other pest-impacted ecosystems. Despite extensive evaluations of integrated pest management programs, they have provided many different benefits that are yet to be documented. Small-scale growers and farmers stand to benefit the most from effective integrated pest management programs, especially with the increasing failures of cheaper insecticide-based control options. Here, we provide a cost analysis for a small-scale farm, the production which will help growers to promote the use of natural enemies and regional integrated pest management. ABSTRACT: The fall armyworm is a polyphagous lepidopteran pest that primarily feeds on valuable global crops like maize. Insecticides and transgenic crops have long been a primary option for fall armyworm control, despite growing concerns about transgenic crop resistance inheritance and the rate of insecticide resistance development. Global dissemination of the pest species has highlighted the need for more sustainable approaches to managing overwhelming populations both in their native range and newly introduced regions. As such, integrated pest management programs require more information on natural enemies of the species to make informed planning choices. In this study, we present a cost analysis of the production of three biocontrol agents of the fall armyworm over a year. This model is malleable and aimed towards small-scale growers who might benefit more from an augmentative release of natural enemies than a repetitive use of insecticides, especially since, though the benefits of using either are similar, the biological control option has a lower development cost and is more environmentally sustainable.