Basic Studies Aiming at Orius minutus (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) Mass-Rearing

This study presented biological and economic data for the mass-rearing of Orius minutus in Korea. Simplifying the mass-rearing process through an alternative diet and an artificial oviposition substrate is a prerequisite for enhancing the usability of this insect as a biological control agent. We compare the hatch rate of O. minutus eggs deposited on a plant substrate with that of eggs deposited on two artificial substrates, cork sheets and rubber. The results indicate that cork sheet is the most cost-effective artificial oviposition substrate for the mass-rearing of O. minutus. We also examine five feeding treatments that included two types of brine shrimp eggs and eggs of Ephestia cautella to compare the number of eggs laid in the fifth generation. We found no significant difference between the two treatment groups; 61.3 eggs were laid in the treatment group fed iron-coated brine shrimp and moth eggs, and 67.4 eggs were laid in the control group. The plant-free model developed in our study can reduce rearing costs by 70.5% compared to the conventional mass-rearing model.

Aspects of the biology of Ephestia cautella and Tribolium castaneum on fermented stored cocoa beans

Ephestia cautella (Walker) (Lepidotera: Pyralidae) and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) are pests associated with dried fermented stored cocoa beans that cause extensive damage. The biology of these pests on cocoa beans in Ghana has not been well documented, especially on T. castaneum. Due to climate changes and improved/hybrid seedlings being released to farmers, it has become necessary to re-evaluate the biology and damage of these pests on fermented stored cocoa beans. The experiments were conducted in the Insectary laboratory of the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. Paired 0-1 day old E. cautella adults were placed in Petri dishes and covered with Kilner jars. The eggs laid daily by each female were carefully transferred onto 15 g cocoa beans in Petri dishes. The egg incubation period was four days, 31 days larval period and the pupal period of seven days. Unmated adult males lived for 12.1 days and females 7.9; mated males lived for 10.9 days and females 5.5. Paired T. castaneum were introduced on 2.0 g broken cocoa beans in Petri dishes. The average incubation period was nine days, 40 days larval period, and pupal period of five days.

The Efficiency of the Parasitoids Bracon hebetor and B. brevicornis in the Control of Date Palm Moth Cadra cautella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

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Isolation and Characterization of Eugenia Aromatica Oil Extract Against Tropical Warehouse Moth Ephestia cautella [Lepidoptera: Pyralidae] In Cocoa Beans

Cocoa bean is a raw material used for the production of chocolate and other confectionaries. Ephestia cautella is the major pest of dried cocoa beans in storage and synthetic insecticide like organochlorides and organophosphates are the major insecticides used to control this pest in storage which further post health hazard to man and his environment. This then necessitate the search for insecticide of plant origins which are bio-degradable and non-toxic to man. This study investigates the contact and fumigant efficacy of the powder and oil extract of Eugenia aromatica on the developmental stages of E. cautella. Powders of E. aromatica were administered at different concentrations (0.5g, 1.0g, 1.5g, 2.0g, and 2.5g). The oil from E.aromatica was extracted with ethanol using soxhlet extractor and redistilled using rotary evaporator and tested as fumigant insecticidal against development stages of E. cautellaat 0.5ml, 1.0ml, 1.5ml, 2.0ml, and 2.5ml. Egg hatchability, adult emergence, larvae and adult mortality of E.cautella were used as indices of insecticidal activities at 24hrs, 48hrs, 72hrs, and 96hrs post-treatment. Essential oil obtained from the plant was purified using thin layer chromatography and analysed by Gas Chromatography -Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS). Result obtained shown that E. aromatica powder and oil completely inhibited egg hatchability and adult emergence both as contact and fumigant. Except the 0.5g of E. aromatica powder that recorded 50.00% larva mortality and 51.67% adult mortality, other treatment concentrations recorded 90-100% larva and adult mortality. At 2.5ml oil extract tested as contact and fumigant larvicides after 96hrs recorded 92.98% and 98.23% mortality respectively. Results from phytochemical analysis of the oil showed that the major components were eugenol (82.044%) and Caryophyllene (11.716%). These findings suggested that E aromatica extract could be a potential source of insecticide which may be used for the production of biopesticide.