Insect Fauna Of Kharkholi Community Forest Surkhet, Nepal

Abstract

Forest health is very important part of the sustainable forest management system. Forest insects are the member of forest bio-genesis including pest species that can kill trees, causes die back, decline and deformity of forest. The forest insects were studied in Sal dominated forest at Kharkholi Community Forest (KCF), Surkhet, Karnali Province, Nepal. Insects were collected from eight observation plots each one of 10 m *10 m size within the distance not less than 250 m from one to another plot. Insect were collected by using sweeping net, hand picking and beating techniques from June to August, 2019. Altogether 545 individual of insect's belonging to 6 orders, 30 families and 54 generawere identified. They belong to order Coleoptera followed by Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Balttodae, Lepidoptera and Mantodae. Among them identified pest species of Shorea robusta include defoliator Chrysolina spp., Apoderus sp., stem borer Dendroctonus sp. and the larva of family Lasiocambidae. The Shannon-Weiner diversity index shows the highest insect diversity and evenness during pre-monsoon (H'= 3.6706) than monsoon season (H'=3.1078).