Study of the lifetime of the Stinking Locust, Zonocerus variegatus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Orthoptera: Pyrgomorphidae) fed on cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) in the La Mé region (southeast, Côte d’Ivoire)

Zonocerus variegatus is a crop pest whose larvae and adults cause damage to leaves and stems, resulting in huge losses in agricultural yield. The objective of this study was to determine the duration of the different stages of the stink bug on cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) in the La Mé region with a view to implementing alternative methods of controlling it. Larvae captured in the wild were used to obtain adults, whose eggs were incubated in sterilized coconut compost. After hatching, the larvae, which were fed exclusively on cassava leaves, were monitored from stage 1 to the adult stage in order to determine the number and duration of the different stages. When Zonocerus variegatus is fed cassava leaves, the incubation period in the laboratory is 160 ± 9.95 days (5.33 months). It has seven stages in captivity, including six larval stages and one adult stage. Stage 1 is the longest larval stage, lasting 32.26 ± 2.35 days, and stage 2 is the shortest, lasting 22.59 ± 1.49 days. The larval stages last 161.29 ± 3.69 days. The adult stage lasts an average 47.01± 6.59 days. Among adults, females have a lifespan of 51.01±5.59 days and males 43.01±4.33 days, with a significant difference. The post-hatching lifespan of stink bugs fed on cassava leaves in the La Mé region is 208.29±4.69 days, and the lifespan of the bug from egg to adult is estimated at 368.3±9.5 days, or a total of approximately one year.