The meaning of percentage parasitism revisited: solutions to the problem of accurately estimating total losses from parasitism

An earlier forum article identified a need for new analytical methods for obtaining stage-specific estimates of losses from parasitism for life table, population dynamics, and evaluation studies. A discussion of the conceptual framework for recently developed solutions to this problem is presented. Classes of solutions considered include recruitment, stage frequency, and death rate analyses. We present the rationale and methodology for each and compare their relative usefulness for systems of varying types of biologies and sampling constraints. These solutions provide tools for the more accurate quantification of parasitism as a mortality factor in insect life systems