ABSTRACT:

Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda Smith) is an invasive insect that causes a lot of damage to
maize in Nigeria. Mass rearing of the insect was carried out in the insect rearing laboratory of the
Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Ahmadu University Zaria, Using different
rearing containers. The containers used were plastic cups, plastic vials and plastic dishes which
were replicated 10 times and arranged in a Completely Randomized Design. Neonate larvae
obtained from the laboratory colony were fed with artificial diet until pupation. The result of the
experiment had shown that duration of larval development, larval length and larval weight were
significantly (P< 0.05) the highest for the larvae reared in plastic vials, followed by those reared in
plastic cups; and the least was recorded for the larvae reared in plastic dishes. Similarly, females of
which their larvae were reared in plastic vials had significantly (P< 0.05) the highest fecundity
compared to those reared in plastic cups and plastic dishes. Higher fecundity is very vital for mass
rearing of fall armyworm larvae. Therefore, plastic vials are the most ideal containers for mass
rearing of fall armyworm larvae.