Abstract Cowpea is an important food crop in Africa but suffers from a variety of insect pests. Among those is Megalurothrips sjostedti (Trybom), a major pest that is not successfully controlled by its local natural enemies. One of them, Ceranisus menes (Walker), a cosmopolitan endoparasitoid of thrips larvae provides efficient control of thrips populations in Southeast Asia. This has necessitated a study of this insect which involves a comparison of the biology of the African and Asian popu...
In West Africa, especially Nigeria, Benin Republic, Togo and Ghana, dried yam chips constitute an important food material. The recent introduction of the larger grain borer into Africa and its devastating effect on cassava chips necessitated a study of the biology and damage caused by Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidea) and Araecerus fasciculatus (Degeer) (Coleoptera: Anthribidea) on dried yam chips in Ghana. Three yam varieties were investigated in the studies; thes...
ABSTRACT This study was conducted to identify indigenous parasitoids for the control of the larger grain borer, Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) (Coleoptera : Bostrichidae). A search was conducted at various market stores in the Greater Accra and Volta Regions to collect and identify parasitoids associated with stored product pests. Anisopteromalus calandrae (Howard) (Hymenoptera : Pteromalidae) and Dinarmus basalis (Rondani) (Hymenoptera : Pteromalidae) associated respectively with Sitophilus z...
ABSTRACT The ability of the Larger Grain Borer (LGB), Prostephanus truncatus (Horn ). to bore and survive for several weeks in various wood materials led many pest control specialists to conclude that the quick and early build up of the pest in stores results from residual populations from previous infestation that survived in the wooden store structure. The relative susceptibility to P. truncatus infestation of five wood species: stems of borassus/fan palm (Borassus aethiopium (Warb.)), bam ...
ABSTRACT The two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae is a pest of several plants including vegetables, fruits, ornamentals and field crops. Damage done to the host plant can cause leaf and fruit loss, complete defoliation and death of the host plant. They are mostly managed by the use of acaricides. Acaricides resistance has been reported in several countries, this is due to the fact that T. urticae fully becomes resistant to an insecticide after two to four years of use. The present stud...
ABSTRACT As a result of the increasing demand for the use of mosquito coils in Ghana, as a means of personal protection against Anopheles gambiae sensu lato, it was important to evaluate the effectiveness of three selected mosquito coils under field conditions and also determine the resistance status of Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto against pyrethroid-based mosquito coils. Three bands of pyrethroid-based mosquito coils; Angel Jumbo coil®, Lord Insecticide antimosquito coils® and Heaven J...
ABSTRACT Indiscriminate use of insecticides in controlling insect pests of agricultural crops has been implicated in the development of resistance in disease vectors such as the Anopheles gambiae s.l Giles (Diptera: Culicidae) populations that breed within farming areas. Since vector control strategies are insecticide based, it is important to study insecticide resistance in farming areas such as irrigation sites where vectors are breeding. The aim of the study was to investigate insecticide ...
ABSTRACT Biology of Diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) was studied in the laboratory under controlled conditions, i.e. 28 ±1 °C, 65-70 % r.h and a photoperiod of 12L: 12D hours. The results indicated that the developmental time of P. xylostella from egg to adult emergence took on the average 17.5 days. About 59 % of the eggs were laid on the first night of oviposition. Additionally females were generally larger (5.0mm) than males (4.5 mm). Effects of tempe...
ABSTRACT The papaya mealybug Paracoccus marginatus Williams and Granara De Willink (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is an invasive pest insect that can damage a wide range of agricultural crops. Successful biological control of this pest strongly relies on its mass rearing in order to produce its introduced natural enemy, Acerophagus papayae. Host susceptibility studies of P. marginatus were done on four different host plants: Manihot esculenta (cassava), Solanum macrocarpon (African egg-plant), V...
ABSTRACT The larvae of Fall Armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), (Lepidoptera:Noctuidae), can cause significant damage to crops such as maize if not well managed. The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of natural infestation of FAW along the phenology of maize under field conditions, investigate the critical stages for FAW control along maize phenology, and to ascertain the effect of different treatments on maize recovery and yield after FAW infestation. This w...
ABSTRACT Intraspecific variation and biological heterogeneity in the whitefly Bemisia tabaci make it a major pest in diverse agricultural systems worldwide. The economic burden of this insect pest owes to its apparent polyphagy, vectorial capacity for viruses, and propensity for insecticide resistance development. Ecological specialisation has been observed in the species, which compounded with the variability, and adaptability pose serious impediments in its control. Effective description of...
ABSTRACT Studies were earned out on the effects of variety and processed form of cassava chips on the development of Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) and Araecerus fasciculatus (Degeer) (Coleoptera: Anthribidae). Additionally, changes in the nutrient composition of the chips due to infestation, and the influence of major nutrients on the population parameters of these insects were also studied Statistical analysis of insect preference to the processed chips in a choic...
ABSTRACT In the course of experiments aimed towards the laboratory colonization of Simulium damnosum sensu lato, egg masses of the flies were collected from the field and reared to adults. However, it was observed that with the samples obtained from Boti Falls (River Pawnpawn), the immature stages of S. damnosum were attacked and fed upon by some larvae belonging to the family Chironomidae (Diptera). The presence of two different species of chironomid was suspected because of the occurrence o...
ABSTRACT A study was conducted to determine the behaviour of the banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus Germar and the differential severity of its larval damage on four stages of plantain' (suckers, preflowering, flowered and recently harvested) in three different crop cycles. The results indicate that the population of the adult weevil increased in the ratoon crops, and that 3-day old traps were more attractive than 5-day old traps. The longevity of weevils decreased with increasing ratooning...
ABSTRACT A parasitological examination of 2,500 faecal samples of cattle was carried out in Plateau State, Nigeria, to determine prevalence, seasonal distribution and sources of various species of Eimeria in both sexes, age groups, breeds and husbandry systems. Effects of temperatures on sporulation of Eimeria oocysts and chemical analysis of the Eimeria oocysts were also determined. Out of 2500 samples examined, 1567 i.e 62.68% were positive for twelve species of Eimeria. E. alabamensis occu...