In recent years, Spodoptera frugiperda has appeared in several West African countries, causing considerable damage to maize. In Côte d'Ivoire, the first suspicions of the insect appeared in October 2016, when maize producers reported the invasion of their respective crop sites by a certain caterpillar of which they had no knowledge. Following morphological and biological observations made during field missions, these suspicions were confirmed. In the laboratory, a breeding operation to determine the development cycle of the pest was therefore carried out. The results indicated that the female lays eggs 2 to 3 days after emergence. Hatching occurs 2 to 3 days after egg laying. The duration of the larval stage varied between 16 and 38 days, with an average duration of approximately 24.63 ± 5.41 days. The duration of the pupal period varied between 6 and 13 days. The total duration of the development varied between 30 and 53 days. However, adults live about 10 days.
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