The effect of the green ant, Oecophylla smaragdina (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), on insect pests of cashew trees in Australia

Abstract

The influence of green ants, Oecophylla smaragdina (Fabricius), on insect pests of cashew, Anacardium occidentale Linnaeus, in tropical northern Australia was investigated using field surveys and field observations. Oecophylla smaragdina was abundant in the native vegetation of the area, and it was a dominant predator when found in cashew plantations. Oecophylla smaragdina significantly reduced the numbers of the four most important species of insect pests (Helopeltis pernicialis Stonedahl, Malipatil & Houston, Penicillaria jocosatrix (Guenee), Amblypelta lutescens (Distant) and Anigraea ochrobasis Hampson) on cashew trees, and trees with higher numbers of O. smaragdina produced higher quality nuts than trees with fewer numbers of O. smaragdina. Other ant species also reduced pest numbers, but not as much as O. smaragdina. The possibility of using O. smaragdina to control insect pests of cashew in the future is discussed.

Species Richness of Arboreal Ant Assemblages (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) and Frequency of <em>Oecophylla Smaragdina </em>(Fabricius) Occurrence in A Wet Zone Cashew (<em>Anacardium Occidentale L.</em>) Field in Sri Lanka

“…Many ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) are generalist predators and have the potential to control herbivore abundance, reducing the plant damage while increasing plant growth,  Corresponding author Email: rksdias@kln.ac.lk reproduction and yield (Majer 1972, Leston 1973, Schmitz et al 2000, Symondson et al 2002, Van Mele 2008 in agro-ecosystems (Way & Khoo 1992, Peng & Christian 2004, 2005, Peng et al 1995, 1997, 1999, 2014. Cashew, Anacardium occidentale L., a tree crop native to coastal Brazil, grown in many other countries including Sri Lanka (Cashew Corporation of Sri Lanka 2010) has high economic value as a fruit, nut and oil globally (Blomhoff et al 2006, FAO 2013.…”

Comparing different methods for trapping mated queens of weaver ants (Oecophylla longinoda; Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

“…Being generalist predators, Oecophylla spp. can significantly reduce the abundance of several insect pests of tropical crops (Adandonon, Vayssières, Sinzogan, & Van Mele, 2009;Peng & Christian, 2004;Peng, Christian, & Gibb, 1995;Peng, Christian, & Reilly, 2011;Way & Khoo, 1989). Furthermore, Oecophylla ants are targeted as mini livestock for sustainable protein production, as they are used as food by humans and animals (Cèsard, 2004;FAO report, 2013;Offenberg, 2011;Sribandit, Wiwatwitaya, Suksard, & Offenberg, 2008;Van Itterbeeck, Sivongxay, Praxaysombath, & Van Huis, 2014).…”

Weaver Ant Oecophylla longinoda Latreille (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Performance in Mango and Cashew Trees Under Different Management Regimens

“…As biocontrol agents weaver ants have proven efficient in controlling several pests in plantations of mango (Peng & Christian, 2004;Peng & Christian, 2005a;Peng & Christian, 2005b ;Peng & Christian, 2006;Peng & Christian, 2007;Davidson et al, 2007;Adandonon et al, 2009;Van Mele et al, 2007), citrus (Huang & Yang, 1987;Van Mele & Cuc, 2000;Van Mele et al, 2002;Van Mele, 2008), cashew (Peng et al, 1995;Peng et al, 1997;Dwomoh et al, 2009, Olotu et al, 2013, coconut (Way, 1954;Vanderplank, 1960;Varela, 1992;Sporleder & Rapp, 1998) and cocoa (Ayenor et al, 2004;Ayenor et al, 2007). For reviews see Way and Khoo (1992) and Offenberg (2015).…”