Assessment of Oecophylla longinoda (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Control of Mango Seed Weevil (Sternochetus mangiferae) in Mkuranga District Tanzania

Abstract

Mango seed weevil S. mangiferae (Fabricius) (Coleoptera:Curculionidae), is one of the most important quarantined pest in commercial mango crop grown by small and medium growers in Tanzania. Though the damaged caused by mango seed weevil is pulp damage and mango seed which is used for propagation materials. The heavy use of broad spectrum insecticides in mango production has resulted in increased production costs, environmental pollution, disputes among neighbors and the reduction in natural enemies of insect pests and pollinators.

Random fruit collection of 300 fruits during the mango season was carried out from weaver ant orchard and non weaver ant orchard to assess the effect of weaver ant on the management of mango seed weevil. Fruits were sampled at an interval of 30 days 60days and 90 days near to ripening stage. Foraged fruits with weaver ants were the only fruits collected for the assessment of the effect of weaver ant on the management of mango seed weevil.

The African weaver ant colonization of mango trees ranged from 60% to 80%. An overall mean percentage infested mango fruits sampled at different stages of development to maturity stage were significantly different (p = 0.0001). The results from this study conclude that African weaver ant were able to control mango seed weevil and should be considered as a suitable component of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for mango seed weevil in mango growing areas in Tanzania.

Keywords: mango seed weevil, African Weaver Ant (AWA) Integrated Pest Management (IPM)