Introduction

Pest management poses many problems and they are diverse. Whereas some are scientific or technical in nature, others relate primarily to the development of policy or to the socioeconomic influences that impact on growers' needs and abilities. The relative mix of these various aspects has changed with time. Their combined end product, the general approach to dealing with pests, has consequently also changed. These changes are considered in this chapter, but only with reference to insects. Although no definitive history of pest management and its major influences has yet been written, many historical events have been documented, from as long as several thousand years ago (e.g. Ordish, 1976; Smith et al., 1973). The few critical analyses of important transitions in pest management that are available yield insights crucial to the ongoing development of theory and practice (e.g. Kogan, 1998; Perkins, 1982; Whorton, 1974).

Analytical historical reviews are beneficial. They help to identify ‘general guides for future action’ (Carr, 1987) and they alert us to how early interpretations influence our perception of reality (Sinclair & Solemdal, 1988). Through such investigation, for instance, we might identify a contemporary set of circumstances that had previously led to an undesirable outcome. Another such outcome could therefore be anticipated, which suggests pre-emptive measures be taken.