Defoliating caterpillars

Ghana recently reported an outbreak of Lepidoptera spp. Attacking cocoa pods [1]. Subsequent surveys identified the caterpillars as Anomis leona. 

Although A. leona is not a new or major pest of cocoa in Ghana, it is known to feed on new growth which appear at the beginning of the wet season. 

What is concerning about the report from Ghana is the severity of the infestation (96% of trees in some communities) and that there was extensive feeding on pods, which leaves the pods open to secondary fungal infection and direct damage to young pods can stop their development. 

Severe defoliation can reduce photosynthesis and reduce yields. A. leona was also been reported in 2020 as an emerging pest on cocoa in Nigeria, the reasons for the surge in pest numbers in the region is unknow but monitoring in both countries has been advised. 

The outbreak in Ghana was reported to be successfully managed using the pyrethroid bifenthrin.