The abundance and effectiveness of
Pareuchaetes pseudoinsulata
Rego Barros (Lepidoptera:
Arctiidae) in controlling the Siam weed,
Chromolaena odorata
(L.) King and Robinson in southern Ghana was
assessed in
C. odorata infested fields through monthly sampling and monitoring surveys carried out between October
2007 and March 2008. Insect data was collected using line transects of 100 metres long and 100 metres apart and the
removal, sweep net and direct count methods were used and data on the impact of feeding damage on the weed was
collected by measuring several plant characteristics. The populations of
P. pseudoinsulata were generally low in all
sites investigated, throughout the study period. However, higher numbers of the bio-agent were recorded at site #1
(Akotokyire, Central Region) compared to the other sites and this was significantly (P<0.05) different. Populations of
P. pseudoinsulata reached their highest densities between October and December. The damage caused to
C. odorata
in the field by
P. pseudoinsulata was too minimal and insignificant to impact negatively on the weed, thus the
damage levels recorded are insufficient to meaningfully affect the growth rate of
C. odorata. @ JASEM
