Reducing losses inflicted by insect pests on cashew, using weaver ants as a biological control agent
Anato, Florence M. | Wargui, Rosine B. | Sinzogan, Antonio A. C. | Offenberg, Joachim | Adandonon, Appolinaire | Vayssières, Jean‐François | Kossou, Dansou K.
In Benin cashew plantations, yields and nut quality are lost mainly as a result of insect pests. In the present study, we investigated the effectiveness of the African weaver ant Oecophylla longinoda as a biocontrol agent against Beninese cashew pests. In a 2‐year study, nut yield and quality were compared among: (i) trees with weaver ants O. longinoda; (ii) trees where weaver ants were sugar‐fed; (iii) integrated pest management (IPM) trees with weaver ants combined with fruit fly bait spray; and (iv) control trees receiving no control measures. All treatments with ants showed significantly higher yields than the control, with the IPM treatment leading to the highest yield. Compared with the control trees, the ants, ant sugar‐fed and the IPM trees produced 78%, 122% and 151% more nuts, respectively. Nuts produced on control trees were of a higher quality on average because they were less damaged by thrips (probably because the fruit fly bait worked as a contact poison on thrips); this was also the case for the IPM treatment. In absolute numbers, however, trees in ant treatments produced more first‐quality nuts. To achieve a broader and effective control of both coreid bugs and thrips, a combination of weaver ants and supplementary compatible control measures is recommended.
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