The most famous successful example was the introduction of the gray moth, Cactoblastis cactorum, into Australia to control the prickly pear, Opuntia inermis, which was over running vast tracts of land. The moth's caterpillars eat the shoots of the plant.

Another example is the introduction of parasitic wasps that lay their eggs inside the eggs of pest insects; such as, corn borers that attack corn (maize).

Populations of insect pests may also be reduced by releasing sterile males to mate with the females, or by using sex-attractant chemicals (pheromones) to trap males or females.