BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF BLACK ANTS (DOLICHODERUS THORACICUS SMITH) IN SAPODILLA PRODUCTION IN VIETNAM

摘要

An extensive survey revealed that sapodilla farmers in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam explain the benefits of black ants as threefold. Firstly, the fruit borer, Alophia sp. is reduced due to predation. Secondly, some farmers mentioned the reduction of other ant species, which attend scale insects and mealybugs, and thirdly, benefits were explained in terms of improved fruit quality. On the other hand, some farmers considered black ants as a pest, because they are believed to increase mealybug populations. Experiments were carried out from 1996 to 1997 to test some of these hypotheses, Fruit borer populations were significantly higher in ant-excluded trees, whereas no significant difference was found with regard to mealybugs.