Black Ant (Dolichoderus thoracicus): Artificial Diet and Nest Prospects in Controlling Cocoa Pod Borer (Conopomorpha cramerella Sn.)

摘要

It is undeniable that abundant black ant population along within cocoa trees can significantly benefit for controlling cocoa pod borer(CPB) and therefore most of efforts to establish ant colony have been focused. One of tactics is to manipulate food and nest built. The research objectives were first to understand how ant colony spread with in the trees and preyed on CPB once the colony preferred artificial nest made from organicudmatter and granule organic food trigger, second to know feasibility of artificial diet and nest (easily applied) built in order to optimize abundant population. The trials designed by following randomized block design consisting of five (5) trials with six (6) replications. The trias consisted of leaves of cocoa, coconut, coconut and bambo mixed and banana attached on the sieve tube bamboo. all trials were tie up in the cocoa (4 m rangeudfrom ant colony). The ant distribution was observed and measured distance (m) from where the ant released and then mapping distribution and population abundance was drawn up. Predation ability was measured with the number of larvae, prepupa and pupae of CPB prayed everyday for 8 hours-observation.The results revealedudthat initial observation was relatively score 1 and 2 (from less than 50 to 200 colonies). In the final observation,udant built the nest (200 colonies in average) in only the trial of banana leaf attached on sieve tube bamboo and coconut and bamboo leaves mixed. Unlikely the ant tended to not pray eggs, 80.32 percent of larvae were preyed followed by prepupa (68.25%) and pupa (62.45 %) respectively. CPB infestation on pods in the trials showed a very slightly damage level. By contrast, the field without ant indicated heavy damage level of pods harvested