Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, is an invasive insect pest with a diverse host range threatening food security in the African continent by causing severe economic damage to staple maize crop. FAW like all other insects are associated with various microbiota that influence their several characteristics and activities. The microbiota of insects plays important roles in their growth, development and environmental adaptation to their host plants or animals and not much is known about microbiota of FAW in Nigeria. In this study, the microbial community of FAW larvae from maize plants in Nigeria was investigated using Illumina PE250 NovaSeq of 16S rRNA V3-V4 gene region. A total of 1,160,133 sequence reads that ranged from 83,794 to 145,475 were obtained. They span through 2 kingdoms: bacteria (99.59%) and archaea (0.37%), 37 phyla, 59 classes, 78 orders, 145 families and 285 genera. The dominant taxonomic group of bacteria across the larval samples were Proteobacteria (58.32%), Firmicutes (35.87%) and Bacteroidetes (4.02%). There were no significant differences in bacteria species diversity and richness among the individual fall armyworm larva and samples from different geographical regions. The relative abundance of Bacteria phyla and classes also showed no significant differences among the larval samples. Significant differences were documented in bacteria orders Acidobacteriales and Aeromonadales, family Acidobacteriaceae_ (Subgroup_1) and genera Novosphingobium and Pedobacter. The results indicate that the gut of FAW larvae harbours a diverse set of bacteria and archaea biota. Understanding their ecological and functional relevance would provide novel insight on potential approaches for their exploitation in the integrated management of FAW in the tropics.

Damage of fruits by insect pests is one of the major problems faced by fruit sellers in many parts of the country. African star apple Chrysophyllum albidum G.Don. is one of the indigenous fruits that are highly damaged by insect pests during the fruiting season and in storage. A survey of markets and environs were carried out in Ibadan metropolis during the fruiting seasons for two years to determine the associated insect pests and the extent of damage done to C. albidum. Samples of ripe fruits were randomly collected from seven markets and homestead trees at different locations in Ibadan metropolis. Samples were examined in the laboratory at the Federal College of Forestry for damage and the causative agents were identified. Collections made periodically from green fruits to ripening in orchard at Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria showed that infestation of unripe fruits was by scale insects Coccus hesperidum L. while the ripe fruits were mainly attacked by fruit flies (Drosphillla spp. and Cerattis capitata Weid). Infestations were most severe in the market samples than the homestead tree samples. Severity of infestation ranged between 10-35% of the sampled fruits during the periods of the study. There were no significant differences (p>0.05) in the number of fruit fly species collected from different markets or from trees in the sampled locations. There were positive and negative correlations between the ripeness of fruits and attack by fruit flies and scale insects respectively.

Background: Insect pests infestation is one the major constraints to cowpea production in many Sub-Saharan Africa including Nigeria. Control of these pests by farmers has been vastly by use of chemical pesticide which possesses lots of threats to human health and environments. This study is aimed at evaluating insecticidal efficacy of petroleum ether seed extracts of four plants (Azadirachta indica, A. Juss, Piper guineense Schum and Thonn, Annona muricata L., and Jatropha curcas L.) against legume flower thrips, Megalurothrips sjostedti Tryb., and legume pod borer, Maruca vitrata Fab. on cowpea as alternative eco-friendly options for the control of the cowpea field pests. Methods: The extracts were applied at the rate of 10 ml/l of water at 1 week intervals for 6 weeks starting from 7 weeks after sowing (WAS) and replicate three times. The extracts were compared with lambdacyhalothrin at 5 ml/l of water as a standard check and untreated control. Results: The results showed that all the treatments significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the population of legume bud thrips and legume pod borer compared to control. A. muricata followed by Piper guineense significantly (p < 0.01) reduced the population of legume flower thrips and legume pod borer as well as pod damage compared to other extracts. The percentage reduction of M. sjostedti and M. vitrata population by the extracts ranged from 52.07-69.28% and 57.78-78.52% respectively compared to control. Cowpea yield was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in plots treated with A. muricata and Piper guinense compared to other extracts. The efficacies of A. muricata and P. guineese were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than lambdacyhalothrin for the control of legume flower thrips and legume pod borer of cowpea. Conclusion: Petroleum ether seed extracts of A. muricata and P. guineense were very potent against legume flower thrips and pod borer, and thus they can be effectively used by smallholder farmers for the management of cowpea post flowering pests. These plant products are readily available, environment friendly, and are suitable for low-income agriculture practiced in developing countries.

Microbiome research is currently gaining tremendous interest on the impact of diets and environment to influence life traits of several hosts. Full understanding of the insect ecology and characterization of gut microbial community including their natural enemies is vital for development of novel insect pest management strategies. This study examined the gut bacterial communities of Fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda reared in the laboratory with three monocot plant diets (Sugarcane [M1], maize [M2] and onion [M3]) using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The study revealed variations in the structure and community of the gut bacterial biota of FAW larvae reared with three monocot plants. Diet sources greatly altered the structure of the gut bacterial community. Three alpha diversity indices (observed species richness Chao1 and ACE) showed significant differences among the various diet groups. The principal component analysis revealed a moderate distinction in bacterial communities of the FAW larvae reared with the three monocot plants. Higher numbers of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were observed in sugarcane diet (M1). The bacterial communities of all the larvae groups were dominated by phylum Firmicutes. A redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that neutral detergent fibre (NDF) (p < 0.0005) was the most significant factors influencing the community distribution of gut bacteria of FAW larvae. Functional Annotation of Prokaryotic Taxa (FAPROTAX) analysis predicted that chemoheterotrophy, fermentation, aerobic chemoheterotrophy and aromatic compound degradation were the prominent putative functions of FAW larvae gut bacteria communities. Chemoheterotrophy was the most dominant putative functions predicted and was higher in sugarcane diet. Furthermore, the complexity of the network structure was higher in M1 while the modularity was higher in maize diet. The different monocot diets had a considerable impact on bacterial composition in the gut of Fall armyworm larvae and their ecological and functional relevance are discussed.

Mass trapping has demonstrated to be a powerful tool in the control of fruit flies, its use in African countries has currently increased remarkably as a control method. This study evaluated the efficacy of two traps; Lynfield Trap (LT) and Modified Lynfield Trap(MLT) and two lures (Methyl Eugenol (ME) and Protein Bait from Brewery Waste (PBBW)) for mass trapping of Bactrocera invadens Drew, Tsuruta, & White (Diptera: Tephritidae) on mango during 2014 and 2015 fruiting seasons. Traps containing attractants were randomly set on mango homestead trees in three replicates at three selected locations in Ibadan Southwest Nigeria. Results showed no significant difference (p > 0.01) between the trap types baited with ME attractant, although the MLT recorded higher catches of B. invadens during the two seasons. Methyl eugenol was significantly (p < 0.01) more effective than hydrolyzed protein bait from brewery waste in mass trapping B. invadens in the three locations of study. However, ME trapped only male B invadens while PBBW trapped both male and female. B. invadens population was highest at the peak of mango ripening (June) and the density of flies trapped in 2015 was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than 2014 in all the locations. Suitable choice of traps, lures and season enhances the mass trapping results. The use of Protein bait from brewery waste and modified lynfield trap for monitoring B. invadens and population suppression is promising and should be encouraged since they attract both sexes and less cost effective.

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Background Iroko gall bug, Phytolyma fusca Walker, is a major insect pest of Milicia excelsa (Iroko) seedling hampering its propagation in West Africa. Milicia excelsa is an indigenous forest timber tree in the tropical rain forest of West Africa with a very high value in international trade due to its wood quality. Sustainable management of P. fusca infestations on Iroko seedlings have not been achieved due to their cryptic nature and multivoltine generations. This study evaluated the residual and contact effects of crude ethanol and aqueous extracts of four plants (Azadirachta indica, Jatropha curcas, Piper guineense, and Aframomum melegueta) on adult P. fusca in the laboratory and field. Results All the extracts had residual effects and contact effects on adult insects in the laboratory at 75% and 100% concentrations of applications. Azadirachta indica, P. guineense, and A. melegueta gave 80–100% adult mortality at both concentrations in the laboratory; their efficacies were comparable to cypermethrin. The ethanol extracts of P. guineense and A. indica were more effective than other extracts in protecting the seedlings against Phytolyma infestations in the field. They significantly (p < 0.01) reduced infestation compared to other extracts and control. Ethanol extracts of the tested plant materials were more effective than their aqueous extracts both in the laboratory and field. Conclusion The results proved that P. guineense and A. indica extracts were very potent and promising in protecting Milicia excelsa seedlings against Phytolyma fusca infestations and they can be used in the early management of Phytolyma infestations in the field.

The problem of population growth, development and economic pressure has resulted in a high rate of deforestation of the country's natural resource. The rate of disappearance of Milicia excelsa in the forests is alarming with West Africa being the hardest hit by the trend. Milicia suffers heavy exploitation due to its wood quality but they are not replaced for sustainability. A survey was conducted in five states of South West Nigeria (Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti) to assess the perceptions of some communities on the problems associated with propagation of Milicia excelsa. A structured questionnaire was administered to the 125 respondents randomly selected from the five states of the study area. Eighty percent (80%) of respondents do not plant Milicia species because of slow growth (35.2%), bush burning (10.4%), religious beliefs (8.8%) and lack of seeds (45.6%). Awareness of Iroko gall bug (Phytolyma lata) as major constraints to propagation of Milicia excelsa was low (49.6%). There was a significant positive correlation (p<0.01) between the states and people's belief about Milicia excelsa. However, negative correlation was found between the states and awareness of P. lata as major constraints. Therefore, there is need to encourage the communities to propagate M. excelsa through agro forestry by providing them with planting materials (seed) and training on the available control measures for P. lata infestation on Milicia.