Success Story: Weaving Ants into Pest Control

“The pods are shiny and beautiful with the ants taking care of them.” - Mr. Nguyen Khac Thuoc

Mr. Nguyen Khac Thuoc (pictured at left) lives in Binh Phuoc Province in the highlands of southern Vietnam where cocoa mirid (Helopeltis theivora), a small flying insect, is a common pest on cocoa farms.

Mr. Thuoc first planted cocoa in 2005 using 200 seedlings he received from SUCCESS Alliance Vietnam. As the trees began to grow, he started to notice damage to the cherelles and small growing pods caused by the feeding mirids. To control the pest, Mr. Thuoc turned to a natural means of pest control that has been in use for over 3,000 years on a variety of tree crops – weaver ants.

Mr. Thuoc established several ant colonies on the mirid infested trees. The weaver ants build nests in the trees (pictured below) and feed on the mirids. Within a few weeks, mirids were no longer a problem on his farm.

Mr. Thuoc’s incorporation of a biocontrol, weaver ants, into his overall pest management approach is known as integrated pest management (IPM), an important component of the training farmers receive under the SUCCESS Alliance and other programs funded by the World Cocoa Foundation.

Mr. Thuoc’s adoption of weaver ants with ease and enthusiasm is characteristic of his innovative spirit. By 2006, he had expanded his cocoa production from 200 to 1,000 trees using seedlings produced in his own nursery, intercropping them with his cashew trees and coffee bushes.

Today, he has expanded his nursery and will supply 10,000 seedlings to other farmers in the cocoa club through which they receive training and technical support.