A study in Ghana revealed insect pests of domesticated Baobab

Plantations and nurseries of Baobab, maintained by Ho Technical University in Ghana, were surveyed for insect pests in 2024. The results were recently published in International Journal of Forestry Research. Identifying insect pests of domesticated baobabs is pivotal for developing effective pest management strategies to secure the productivity of the tree. This is in turn will encourage farmers to include baobab cultivation in their farming.

The study included both young and mature baobab trees. All insects on the plants were documented and identified. A total of 16 insect species were found, belonging to 11 families and 7 orders. The most frequent orders were Hemiptera (37.5%) and Coleoptera (31.25%). The cocoa weevil (Araecerus fasciculatus) was the most dominant insect pest.

Details of the study are available at https://doi.org/10.1155/ijfr/6638081.