A Comparative Study of Insect Species Composition in Afuremo, Oye- Egbo and Faalex areas of Oye- Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria

This study aimed at evaluating the diversity and abundance of insect species in the Afuremo, Oye-Egbo, and Faalex areas in Oye-Ekiti and was carried out from January to July 2024 using a combination of pitfall, jarring, active hunting, and sweep net methods. In this study, a total of 1838 individuals belonging to 18 orders, 74 families, and 140 species were recorded in the Afuremo, Oye-Egbo, and Faalex areas of Oye-Ekiti. Out of these numbers, 689 individuals were collected from Afuremo, 491 individuals from Oye-Egbo, and 658 individuals from Faalex, respectively. Hymenoptera was the most dominant order across the three study areas with 991 individuals. In Afuremo, Periplanata americana (Blattodea: Corydidae), Euborella annulpes (Dermaptera: Anisolabididae), and Pijnackeria hispanica (Phasmatodea: Bacillidae) had the highest relative abundance of 100%, respectively, while both Sceliphron caementarium (Hymenoptera: Apoidae) and Vespa orientalis (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) had the lowest relative abundance of 1.00%. However, in Oye-Egbo, Forficula auricunaria (Dermaptera: Forficulidae), Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), and Eusthenia sp. (Plecoptera: Perlidae) had the highest relative abundance of 100%, respectively, while Ageniaspis citricola and Vespula germanica had the lowest relative abundance of 0.62%, respectively. The results suggest that Afuremo is a more balanced and stable ecosystem that supports a greater diversity of insects as compared to Faalex and Oye-Egbo.