As early as the third century, a nest of the ants Oecophylla smaragdinawere sold near Canton (today known as Guangzhou in China) for use in control of the citrus insect pests such as Tesseratoma papillosa(Lepidoptera). However, the first record of biocontrol is from China. This most likely led to the domestication of the house cat. The ancient Egyptians were probably the first to employ biocontrol dating some 4000 years ago, when they observed that cats fed on rodents, which damaged their crops. The concept of biological control is not entirely new. This chapter focuses on the biological control of parasites, providing a brief history of biocontrol their advantages and disadvantages types of BCAs including predators, parasites (parasitoids) and pathogens (fungi, bacteria, viruses and virus‐like particles, protozoa and nematodes) their effect on the native biodiversity a few case studies of successful implementation of biocontrol challenges encountered with the implementation of biocontrol strategies and finally their future perspectives. The biocontrol of parasites therefore entails the use of BCAs to suppress the population of the parasites. Parasites are a major cause of disease in man, his livestock and crops, leading to poor yield and economic loss. Endoparasites include helminths and protozoa, and ectoparasites are fleas, ticks, mites, insects and so on. Parasites that invade and live within the host are referred to as endoparasites meanwhile, those that live on the surface without invading the host are referred to as ectoparasites. The organism that suppresses the pest population is generally referred to as a biological control agent (BCA).Ī parasite is an organism that lives and feeds in or on a host. Biological control differs from natural control in that the latter does not involve human manipulation. Biocontrol can also be defined as “the study and uses of parasites, predators and pathogens for the regulation of host (pest) densities”. Biocontrol is therefore defined as “any activity of one species that reduces the adverse effect of another”. This is termed biological control or simply biocontrol. To keep their population in check will necessitate the manipulation of the population of their natural enemies by man. Pests sometimes outwit their natural enemies and grow to very high population density. A combination of these factors may substantially reduce the pest population in one geographical area and make it more abundant in another. Environmental factors (such as weather, geography and soil conditions) which affect pest populations generally vary from one location to another and changes through time. Living organisms, which are considered undesirable, are generally referred to as pests. Many organisms are killed by pathogens (disease‐causing agents) such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites (parasitoids) and predators. Availability of competition (biotic factors) is also an important determinant for the survival of living organisms. Weather (abiotic or non‐living factors) is an important factor in natural control temperature and humidity are determinants of the survival of living organisms. The event where living organisms live and die a natural death unaided by man is termed “natural control”. These factors are responsible for the “checks and balances” of a population of living organisms. In nature, the population size of every species is regulated by natural environmental factors. This chapter presents a review of the history of biocontrol, its advantages and disadvantages the different types of biological control agents (BCAs) including predators, parasites (parasitoids) and pathogens (fungi, bacteria, viruses and virus‐like particles, protozoa and nematodes) the effect of biocontrol on native biodiversity a few case studies of the successful implementation of biocontrol methods and the challenges encountered with the implementation of biocontrol and future perspectives. Considerable successes have been achieved in the implementation of biocontrol strategies in the past. Biocontrol is defined as “the study and uses of parasites, predators and pathogens for the regulation of host (pest) densities”. Biocontrol is now a core component of the integrated pest management. To overcome some of the major limitations of chemical control methods such as rising resistance, environmental and health risks, and the adverse effect on non‐target organisms, biological control (biocontrol) is now at the forefront of parasite (pests) control. Parasites (ectoparasites or endoparasites) are a major cause of diseases in man, his livestock and crops, leading to poor yield and great economic loss.