Table 4.
Host plants of various consumed edible insects.
| Insect species | Host plants | Signs of presence | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common name | Scientific name | ||
| Termite | NA | NA | NA |
| House cricket | NA | NA | NA |
| Palm weevil | Palm, coconut and African oil palm | Raffia palm, Cocos nucifera and Elaeis guineensis | Cracking noises in palm trunks and odour |
| Beetle | Palm, yellow flame and mango | Raffia palm, Peltophorum pterocarpum and Mangifera spp | Indication of its activity at the hole of entrance and cracking noises in the palm |
| Grasshopper | Grass, guinea grass and giant rat's tail grass | Digitaria sp, Panicum maximum, and Sporobolus pyramidalis | NA |
| Mole cricket | NA | NA | Whistling and canals in the wet ground |
| Honey bee | NA | NA | NA |
| Red locust | Maize, rice, soybean, sugarcane, groundnut and sweet potato | Zea mays, Oryza sativa, Glycine max, Saccharum officinarum, Arachis hypogaea and Ipomoea batatas | Whistling |
| Migratory locust | Maize, rice, soybean, sugarcane, groundnut and sweet potato | Zea mays, Oryza sativa, Glycine max, Saccharum officinarum, Arachis hypogaea and Ipomoea batatas | Whistling |
| Red palm weevil | Coconut, African oil palm and sugarcane | Cocos nucifera, Elaeis guineensis and Saccharum officinarum, | Indication of its activity at the entrance hole, odour and cracking noises in the palm |
| Imbrasia oyemensis | Red mangrove | Rhizophora mangle | Caterpillar smells and typical bird songs |
| Imbrasia epimethea | Red mangrove and African blackwood | Rhizophora mangle and Erythrophleum africanum | Caterpillar smells and typical bird songs |
| Rhinoceros beetle | Coconut and African oil palm | Cocos nucifera and Elaeis guineensis | Indication of its activity at the hole of entrance and Cracking noises in the palm |
| Misigi | Red mangrove and African blackwood | Rhizophora mangle and Erythrophleum africanum | Whistling |
| Kansenda | Palm and coconut | Raffia palm and Cocos nucifera | Cracking noises in palm trunks and odour |
| Nsike | Jaragua grass, Weeping lovegrass and Giant rat's tail grass | Hyparrhenia rufa, Eragrostis curvula and Sporobolus pyramidalis | NA |
| Kigelegele | NA | NA | NA |
| Bangwangwa | NA | NA | NA |
| Maguina | NYD | NYD | NYD |
| Mingungu | NYD | NYD | NYD |
| Ngohangoha | NYD | NYD | NYD |
| Bikolongo | NYD | NYD | NYD |
| Bachache | NYD | NYD | NYD |
NA Not applicable, NYD Not yet determined.