Cycle and Demographic Parameters of Ephestia cautella Walker(Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) on Shea Kernels

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Résumé

Ephestia cautella W. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is an insect pest associated with shea kernels that causes signifcant damage to storedproducts. In Burkina Faso, no study has been conducted to assess the biological efects on E. cautella after exposure to shea kernels, andtherefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate this. Te tests were conducted at the Laboratory of Fundamental and Applied Entomologyat the “Universit ́e Joseph KI-ZERBO,” where the average temperature and humidity were 27.5°C and 46.7%, respectively. Tirty pairsfrom zero to one-day-old E. cautella were evaluated to determine the reproductive potential of the females and to assess the de-velopmental time of the species on shea kernels. Mated females had an average weight of 16 mg and length of 11.1 mm and lived 8.9 days.Males had an average weight of 9.3 mg and length of 8.7 mm and lived 16.9 days. Each female laid around 155 eggs in 4 days fora hatching rate of 94.6% and an emergence rate of 56.7% (80.7 individuals/female). Te frst-generation ofspring was composed of 61.2%females and 38.8% males. Te egg incubation period was 4 days, the larval development period was 55 days, and the pupal period was12 days for a total average of 71 days. Te population of E. cautella doubles in size in 6.8 days for a generation time of 76.3 days. Teknowledge of the biological parameters of this moth represents a major asset in the development of a control strategy. (PDF) Cycle and Demographic Parameters of Ephestia cautella Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) on Shea Kernels. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/396699293_Cycle_and_Demographic_Parameters_of_Ephestia_cautella_Walker_Lepidoptera_Pyralidae_on_Shea_Kernels [accessed Apr 28 2026].

Mots-clés

biology; Burkina Faso; Ephestia cautella; shea kernel