寄生性和捕食性天敌昆虫成虫普遍存在通过取食蜜粉源植物补充营养的行为，这可不同程度地促进天敌昆虫性成熟、延长其寿命、提高其生殖力或寄生率，以及搜寻寄主效率和子代雌性比率，从而显著提高天敌昆虫在生物防治中的控害能力和效果。蜜粉源植物花的结构及植物对天敌昆虫产生的嗅觉、视觉信号和花蜜花粉对天敌昆虫产生的味觉信号又显著影响天敌昆虫选择蜜粉源植物的行为和结果。但是，蜜粉源植物也可成为害虫的补充营养植物，从而提高害虫的为害能力。因此，需深入研究不同蜜粉源植物对天敌昆虫及害虫的作用，趋利避害，才可能应用蜜粉源植物成功调控天敌与害虫的益害比，实现害虫的可持续控制。

 Adult predators and parasitoids generally require floral resource plants as part of their diet. The availability of such suitable plant foods to predators and parasitoids can promote sexual maturation, prolong longevity, improve reproductive capacity or parasitic rate and motivation to seek hosts, and increase the female sex ratio of offspring, all of which can significantly improve the ability of predators and parasitoids to act as biological control agents. The ability of adult predators and parasitoids to exploit floral foods are significantly affected by the floral architecture, the olfactory and visual signals emitted by the plant, and the gustatory response of predators and parasitoids to honey or pollen. Floral resource plants also can act as supplementary foods for pest species, thereby increasing their capacity to cause crop damage. In depth study of the effects of different floral resource plants on both pests and their natural enemies is required in order to determine how floral resources might be able to be used regulate the ratio of natural enemies to pests.