Evaluation of the use of Ogiri from castor oil seed as bait in trapping of insect in a fallow plot in Awka, Nigeria

Abstract

Pitfall traps were used to study insect fauna in a fallow plot at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Temporary site, Awka. The study was carried out for a period of seven weeks in the months of June and July 2013. The pitfall traps were baited using ogiri made from castor oil seed. The pitfall traps were used to investigate the activities and the relative abundance of insects in the study site. A total of 137 adult insects were trapped. From the overall results, eight insect orders, seventeen families and twenty-two species were found to be associated with the ogiri from castor oil seed in the fallow plot in Awka during the study period. Hymenoptera having the highest relative abundant (30.60%) followed by Collembola (15.67%) while both the Dictyoptera and Isoptera had the least relative abundance (3.73% each). However, analysis of variance showed that castor oil
seed ogiri had significant effect on Diptera at p<0.05. The factors responsible for the presence and recovery of insect species from the bait include; accidental dropping into the pitfall traps, foraging activities on the bait, and oviposition resources.

Keywords: Ogiri, Castor oil seed, Pitfall trap, Insects fauna, Fallow plot, Awka, Nigeria