The Use Of Banana Flavour Essence, Formalin And Ordinary Water In Pitfall Traps In The Study Of The Diel Activities Of Insects From A Fallow Plot In Awka, Nigeria

Abstract

A study was carried out to access the insect fauna of a fallow plot in Awka, Nigeria, in relation to their diel activities and to report any differences in the pitfall catches as a result of differences in the fluid used. The fluid used in the three sets of six traps installed bimonthly at the sites for 12 hours in each case were 5% formalin, water with 0.01% banana flavour essence and ordinary water. Using Student t-test, statistical differences existed in the diurnal and nocturnal activities of the Sminthurididae, Poduromorpha, Diptera, Acantholepsis, Paratrechina sp. and Camponotus, at probability level P<005with more nocturnal catches obtained in all cases for water with banana flavour essence. Similarly statistical differences also existed in the trappng o Poduromorpha, Entomobryomorpha, Acantholepsis and Camponotus sp., for pitfall traps containing water. For pitfall traps with 5% formalin statistical differences, existed in the trapping Sminthurididae Poduromorpha, Diptera, Acheta lefevrei, Acantholepsis sp., Hymenoptera (other than formicids) and orthopteran larvae, with more nocturnal catches recorded for the pitfall traps with banana flavour essence, possibly indicating the attractive properties o this particular avour essence. TheAnalysis of Variance (ANOVA) test also showed that statistical differences existed in the diurnal and nocturnal catches of insects obtained using the three killing agents. The Fisher's Probability Least Signicance Difference (F-LSD) also established statistical differences in the catches made using banana flavour essence and water and also with ordnary water and formalin, with the nocturnal catches being higher than the diurnal catches. The F-LSD also confirmed that the total nocturnal catches were sgnificantly higher than the total diurnal catches obtained using all the three killing agents. An approximate ratio o 12 was also obtained in the catches in relation to diurnal and nocturnal activities respectively.

Keywords: Pitfall traps, Diel activities, Insects, Fallow plot, Killing agents, Awka

Animal Research International Vol. 4 (1) 2007 pp. 630-634