Based on the large data set stored in some sugarcane mills regarding the biological control programme of Diatraea saccharalis using the parasitoids Cotesia flavipes and tachinid flies, the aim of the present study was to determine whether sugarcane varieties, number of cuts and plant ages are major determinants in promoting spatial variability in D. saccharalis, C. flavipes and tachinid fly populations in sugarcane fields in the state of Sao Paulo (Brazil). The data set used to support this study was provided by the Sao Joao and Barra sugarcane mills. Coefficient of variation was adopted as a measure of the spatial variability of population density. Spatial variability was estimated for the total density of D. saccharalis (parasitized+unparasitized larvae), and also for D. saccharalis larvae parasitized by tachinids and by C. flavipes. Statistical analysis revealed that the spatial variation in D. saccharalis populations was influenced by the number of cuts and by plant ages in the Barra and Sao Joao Mills, respectively. Similar results were obtained for D. saccharalis larvae parasitized by tachinids; however, in the Sao Joao Mill, the spatial variability of these populations was also influenced by the different number of varieties. Finally, considering D. saccharalis larvae parasitized by C. flavipes, no significant regressions with any of the three categories were observed for both sugarcane mills. The multitrophic implications for this agricultural system are also discussed. Animals and man; Disturbance by man; Commercial activities; Parasites diseases and disorders; Parasites; Insect parasites; Hosts; Insect hosts; Ecology; Population dynamics; Habitat; Man made habitat; Land zones; Neotropical region; South America Tachinidae; Cotesia flavipes (Braconidae ); Farming and agriculture; Farming system; Lepidopteran hosts; Diatraea saccharalis; Prevalence, farming practices effects; Cultivated land habitat; Brazil; Sao Paulo; Prevalence in lepidopteran hosts, farming system effects, sugarcane fields Diatraea saccharalis (Pyralidae); Farming and agriculture; Farming systems, distribution & insect parasites prevalence effects; Dipteran parasites; Tachinidae; Hymenopteran parasites; Cotesia flavipes; Population density; Distribution within habitat; Cultivated land habitat; Brazil; Sao Paulo; Abundance, distribution & insect parasites prevalence, farming system effects, sugarcane fields none