Abstract
With the present need to address environmental problems, there is much interest in biological control of insect pests rather than the use of chemical insecticides. This article critically reviews the use of baculoviruses worldwide in agriculture and forestry, directing attention not only to intrinsic activity but to other relevant factors such as shelf-life in storage, fluctuation in demand, and cost of production and applications. It draws particular attention to the relevance of baculoviruses to pest control in developing countries where labour is cheap.