The effect of weaver ants Oecophylla smaragdina on the shoot borer Hypsipyla robusta on African mahoganies in Australia

摘要

1African mahogany Khaya senegalensis is a high-value timber tree species widely grown in central Africa, south-east Asia and northern Australia. Pilot plantings show that the tree grows well in the wet-dry tropical areas of northern Australia, and the shoot borer Hypsipyla robusta (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is a potential pest of the tree. The weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina is an efficient biocontrol agent in some horticulture crops. To investigate whether the ants control shoot borers, field experiments were conducted at two sites near Darwin, Australia from April 2006 to January 2009.