According to Dr. Dan Mahr, University of Wisconsin entomologist and an expert on beneficial insects, natural enemies of cranberry insect pests are far more numerous than most of us imagine. In a typical cranberry bed over the course of a season there are probably literally hundreds of different types of beneficial insects which are either predacious or parasitic on our pests. Spiders, of which there are many species camped out on your farm, are also excellent predators of our cranberry insect pests. Both the insect predators and spiders have big appetites and attitudes to match. They are aggressive and not particularly finicky about what's on their plate.
Parasites are organisms which infest other organisms for food and shelter.
Like deer ticks on deer or malaria in people, parasites live off the host's blood and good graces, sapping strength and vigor. In the insect world, however, parasites not only make their host sick, they often kill the host outright. This key difference makes parasites in cranberry beds potentially potent biological pesticides. Some parasites can literally rid the field of a particular pest. Parasites primarily belong to two groups, the flies and the stingless wasps.