Studies on the Lepidoptera of Cocoa Farms in Ghana

Abstract

Fluctuations in populations of leaf-eating Lepidoptera at Aburi are not only tied up wife availability of food in the form of flushes hut to a certain extent also with the changes in Seasons of the year. Fluking was greatest in February-march at the end of the dry sunny season getting into wet sunny. More caterpillars were seen in the flushes at the time than in the dry month of October-December. Pod-boring caterpillars such as Characoma stictigrapta paused more damage in October-November when there were many pods available. the increase in numbers of Lepidoptera Recies is also associated with cocoa canopy cocoa Trees with a poor canopy harboured much numbers of some lepidopterous species such as Barias Malaga and Anomis leona than trees with a good canopy. Much larger numbers; of caterpillars Occurred in regularly sprayed areas such as at Kade end Safe then at the rarely sprayed farms at Aburi. For instance, the incidence of the pod-husk miner, iiamara sp., was greatest in regularly sprayed farms , probably because, with fee application of insecticides, fee free-flying parasites of Marmara get killed thus upsetting the natural Biological balance.