Marc Kenis

Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International | CABI · CABI Switzerland

Invasive alien species (IAS) rank among the most significant drivers of species extinction and ecosystem degradation resulting in significant impacts on socio-economic development. The recent exponential spread of IAS in most of Africa is attributed to poor border biosecurity due to porous borders that have failed to prevent initial introductions....

In Burkina Faso, the leaf beetle Aphthona whitfieldi is the main insect pest of the biofuel plant Jatropha curcas that affects plant growth and seed yield. This study was conducted on-station and on-farm in the district of Léo, southern Burkina Faso, in 2015. It aimed at evaluating the yield losses that A. whitfieldi inflicts to J. curcas. The firs...

Classical biological control, i.e., the introduction of natural enemies from an invasive pest’s area of origin, has been proposed repeatedly to control the spotted wing drosophila Drosophila suzukii in the Americas and in Europe. Results from surveys in Asia and laboratory experiments suggest the parasitoid G1 Ganaspis cf. brasiliensis as a suitabl...

International trade in plants and climate change are two of the main factors causing damaging tree pests (i.e. fungi and insects) to spread into new areas. To mitigate these risks, a large-scale assessment of tree-associated fungi and insects is needed. We present records of endophytic fungi and insects in twigs of 17 angiosperm and gymnosperm gene...

International trade in plants and climate change are two of the main factors causing damaging tree pests (i.e. fungi and insects) to spread into new areas. To mitigate these risks, a large-scale assessment of tree-associated fungi and insects is needed. We present records of endophytic fungi and insects in twigs of 17 angiosperm and gymnosperm gene...

Invasive alien species (IAS) continue to shape the global landscape through their effects on biological diversity and agricultural productivity. The effects are particularly pronounced in Sub-Saharan Africa, which has seen the arrival of many IAS in recent years. This has been attributed to porous borders, weak cross border biosecurity, and inadequ...

Neoleucopis kartliana Tanasijtshuk (Diptera, Chamaemyiidae) is the most abundant predator of the giant pine scale (GPS), Marchalina hellenica (Hemiptera, Margarodidae) in Greece. GPS is native to Greece and Turkey, where it is not considered a pest of Pinus spp., but a valuable resource for pine honey production. However, its introduction to new ar...

This study aimed to promote the use of termites as feed in traditional poultry farming by developing sustainable and inexpensive termite trapping techniques. Various tests were carried out in Burkina Faso to improve the traditional technique of trapping termites of the genus Macrotermes using a reversed container filled with organic matters. We stu...

The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), has invaded most Afro-Eurasian countries and is threatening worldwide tomato production. Various strategies have been developed and implemented to manage this pest. Here, we present a timely review on the up-to-date development and practical implementation of int...

RESUME Les larves de mouches domestiques (asticots) sont utilisées comme apport protéinique pour la volaille en Afrique de l'Ouest. Les asticots sont obtenus en exposant des substrats aux mouches présentes dans la nature. Cette étude vise à améliorer les techniques de production et d'extraction des asticots et à mettre au point des méthodes simples...

The use of insects such as black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) and common housefly (Musca domestica) as an alternative source of protein in animal feed has gained interest in recent years. This study investigated the effect of four growing substrates on the biomass, crude nutrient and mineral composition of M. domestica larvae. After a 5-day grow...

In Burkina Faso, the leaf beetle Aphthona whitfieldi is the main insect pest of the biofuel plant Jatropha curcas . The beetle affects plant growth and seed yield, but the impact on yield has never been properly quantified. This study was conducted on-station and on-farm in the district of Léo, southern Burkina Faso, in 2015. It aimed at evaluating...

Invasive alien species have environmental, economic and social impacts, disproportionally threatening livelihood and food security of smallholder farmers in low-and medium-income countries. Fall armyworm (FAW) (Spodoptera frugiperda), an invasive insect pest from the Americas, causes considerable losses on maize to smallholder farmers in Africa sin...

In response to the threat caused by the fall armyworm to African maize farmers, we conducted a series of field release studies with the egg parasitoid Telenomus remus in Ghana. Three releases of ≈15,000 individuals each were conducted in maize plots of 0.5 ha each in the major and minor rainy seasons of 2020, and compared to no-release control plot...

Many factors can affect the success and failure of classical biological control. However, these factors have mainly been studied independently of each other, which leaves their relative importance within the complexity of classical biological control (CBC) programmes unknown. Therefore, we set out to take a more holistic view on the factors that ma...

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda , an American Lepidoptera, is invasive in Africa and Asia and currently one of the most damaging cereal pests in the tropics. The ichneumonid parasitoid, Eiphosoma laphygmae , is a potential classical biological control agent. We assessed existing knowledge on biology, identified natural distributions, colla...

Background: The black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) is the most promising insect candidate for nutrient-recycling through bioconversion of organic waste into biomass, thereby improving sustainability of protein supplies for animal feed and facilitating transition to a circular economy. Contrary to conventional livestock, genetic resources of farm...

Background The black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) is the most promising insect candidate for nutrient-recycling through bioconversion of organic waste into biomass, thereby improving sustainability of protein supplies for animal feed and facilitating transition to a circular economy. Contrary to conventional livestock, genetic resources of farme...

Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) infests a variety of commercial fruits, including cherries and other soft-skinned fruits. After the cropping season of most cultivated crop hosts, it heavily infests the fruit of a wild host-plant, Osyris wightiana in southwest China. Here, we employ gas chromatography-electroantennographic detection (GC-...

Increased tree mortality has become a widespread phenomenon and is largely attributed to climate change. Little field research has addressed the complex interactions between trees, herbivores, and their natural enemies as affected by temperature. We recorded the densities of bark insects and their natural enemies emerging from felled trees in Scots...

Les caractéristiques de Drosophila suzukii (fécondité, plantes-hôtes, nombre de génération...) en font un ravageur difficile à maîtriser en cultures fruitières, en particulier en verger de cerisier et en cultures de fruits rouges (fraise, framboise). Les solutions actuelles ne donnent pas entièrement satisfaction, du fait de contraintes techniques...

This 138-paged book highlights the opportunity for the inclusion of insects into animal feed for livestock, pets, aquaculture and exotics. It also details the challenges which still need to be overcome to enable the global establishment of insect farming as a profitable and sustainable source of feed ingredients. The aim is to provide information t...

A long-term monitoring was conducted at 40 sites in four different habitats in north-western Switzerland to observe changes in populations of native ladybirds, following the invasion of the Asian harlequin ladybird, Harmonia axyridis. From 2006 to 2017, the same trees and meadows were sampled at least seven times per year using standard protocols....

En Afrique de l’Ouest, les termites sont communément utilisés comme alimentation protéinique pour la volaille. Cette étude avait pour objectif de tester et d’améliorer une méthode traditionnelle de collecte des termites par piégeage avec un récipient renversé, au Nord du Burkina Faso. Des essais ont été menés avec deux genres de termites (Macroterm...

Background Housefly ( Musca domest ica L. 1758) larvae are used in various parts of the world for animal feeding either by exposing substrates for natural oviposition or in industrial systems involving an adult rearing unit to produce eggs that are then placed in a substrate suitable for larval development. In order to develop M. domestica rearing...

Uncertainty about the taxonomic status and the specificity of a species commonly prevent its consideration as a candidate for biological control of pest organisms. Here we use a combination of molecular analysis and crossing experiments to gather evidence that the parasitoid wasp Ganaspis brasiliensis, a candidate for biological control of the inva...

1 RÉSUMÉ Cette étude a été réalisée afin d'appréhender les préférences alimentaires des poulets locaux nourris au choix en présence des asticots séchés, dans le but de promouvoir l'utilisation des larves de la mouche domestique (Musca domestica, L.) comme source de protéine animale dans l'alimentation de la volaille locale. Pour ce faire, un essai...

Cerambycid and buprestid woodborers are important invasive forest pests. Parasitoids play a unique role in reducing woodborer populations because of their specific adaptations regarding host concealment. We reviewed parasitoid guilds of cerambycid and buprestid woodborers to characterize their life-history traits and macroecological patterns of hos...

The world’s forests have never been more threatened by invasions of exotic pests and pathogens, whose causes and impacts are reinforced by global change. However, forest entomologists and pathologists have, for too long, worked independently, used different concepts and proposed specific management methods without recognising parallels and synergie...

The present study aimed to assess the physical and chemical properties of the agro-processing by-products decomposed by fly larvae and to be promoted as soil amendment. The biodegradation process was performed using larvae of Musca domestica and Hermetia illucens during 30 days on corn bran, a mixture of soybean bran and corn bran (1:1 ratio), and...

Fall armyworm (FAW) is a new invasive pest that is causing devastating effects on maize production and threatening the livelihoods of millions of poor smallholders across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Using unique survey data from 2356 maize-growing households in Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, we examined how smallholder farmers are fig...

Evidence is accumulating that evolutionary changes are not only common during biological invasions but may also contribute directly to invasion success. The genomic basis of such changes is still largely unexplored. Yet, understanding the genomic response to invasion may help to predict the conditions under which invasiveness can be enhanced or sup...

The invasive fall armyworm (FAW) is threatening maize production and the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers in the newly invaded areas in Africa and Asia. To control this new key pest and to overcome health, environmental, and resistance problems related to the indiscriminate use of insecticides, effective and sustainable alternative pe...

Maggots represent an alternative to deal with the inaccessibility of protein source inputs in poultry farming. The study aimed at analyzing the feeding behaviour of local guinea fowl which received dried maggots and other feeds in cafeteria feeding. Twelve adult guinea fowls were assigned individually in a completely randomized block design with th...

The giant pine scale, Marchalina hellenica Gennadius (Hemiptera: Marchalinidae), is a sap-sucking insect native to South-East Europe that was recently introduced in Australia where it threatens the pine forestry industry. To initiate a classical biological control programme, a literature review and field surveys were carried out in Greece to invest...

While the idea of using insect based feeds (IBFs) offers great potential, especially in developing countries, the environmental impact of implementation remains poorly researched. This study investigates the environmental performance of IBF production in the geographical context of West Africa. Drawing on published life cycle inventory (LCIs) data,...

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, a moth originating from the American continent, has recently invaded most African countries, where it is seriously threatening food security as a pest of cereals. The current management methods rely heavily on the use of synthetic insecticides but there is a need for more sustainable control methods, includ...

This study contributes to the ongoing discussion on how to attribute and evaluate the contribution of transdisciplinary research to sustainable development. As co-created knowledge is a key product of transdisciplinary research, we tested the hypothesis that the extent to which this knowledge is utilized beyond the project consortia, in different a...

TermitesarecommonlyusedbysmallholderfarmersinWestAfricatofeedtheirpoultry.Asurveywascarriedoutamongpoultry farmersinBurkinaFasotogatherknowledge onthe traditional methods usedto obtaintermitesfor poultry feed, toassesswhich termite genera are collected with which techniques and evaluate prospects for optimising and improving the collection and trap...

Evidence is accumulating that evolutionary changes are not only common during biological invasions but may also contribute directly to invasion success. The genomic basis of such changes is still largely unexplored. Yet, understanding the genomic response to invasion may help to predict the conditions under which invasiveness can be enhanced or sup...

Biological control is one of the best options for the sustainable management of the invasive maize pest Spodoptera frugiperda in Africa. However, there is limited knowledge of the efficacy of native natural enemies of S. frugiperda and their potential use in integrated pest management. The endoparasitoid wasp Coccygidium luteum is one of the natura...

Saprophagous fly larvae are sustainable protein sources that can improve animal feed and contribute to human food security worldwide. The objective of this study was to understand poultry farmers' perception of the production and use of fly larvae as poultry feed in Burkina Faso. A survey was conducted among 360 households in 12 villages located in...

The international seed trade is considered relatively safe from a phytosanitary point of view and is therefore less regulated than trade in other plants for planting. However, the pests carried by traded seeds are not well known. We assessed insects and fungi in 58 traded seed lots of eleven gymnosperm and angiosperm tree species from North America...

The number of invasive alien pest and pathogen species affecting ecosystem functioning, human health and economies has increased dramatically over the last decades. Discoveries of invasive pests and pathogens previously unknown to science or with unknown host associations yet damaging on novel hosts highlights the necessity of developing novel tool...

Many recently established non-native insect species appear to be spreading across Europe significantly faster than before. The box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis), a native to Asia, is illustrative of this trend. First recorded in 2007 in Germany, the moth has then colonized in less than 10 years more than 30 countries in Europe and Asia Minor, c...

Herbaryumlar, botanik bahçeleri ve arboretumların birçok rol ve işlevleri arasında biyolojik çeşitliliği koruma amacına yönelik olarak zararlı risk analizlerinde kullanılmaları gibi çok önemli bir rolleri de vardır. Biyolojik çeşitlilik ve ekosistem hizmetleri üzerinde olumsuz etkisi olan istilâcı yabancı türlerle (İYT) mücadele stratejisinin ilk b...

Insect pests damage millions of hectares of forest worldwide each year. Moreover, the extent of such damage is increasing as international trade grows, facilitating the spread of insect pests, and as the impacts of climate change become more evident. Classical biological control is a well-tried, cost-effective approach to the management of invasive...

Executive summary Background Since its first arrival on the African continent in 2008, the tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta, remains the most important biotic constraint to tomato production in North and sub-Saharan Africa. Subsequently, several research efforts have been undertaken to understand the bio-ecology of Tuta absoluta and to develop integ...

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, a moth originating from tropical and subtropical America, has recently become a serious pest of cereals in sub-Saharan Africa. Biological control offers an economically and environmentally safer alternative to synthetic insecticides that are being used for the management of this pest. Consequently, various...