The free amino acids of the accessory glands of adult male variegated grasshopper, Zonocerus variegatus (Linnaeus) were investigated at five different ages after emergence of insects maintained oh cassava Manihot esculenta, Cranz using automatic amino acid analyser, Beckman 121 MB. Thirteen amino acid components were consistently detected from days 6 to 28: cystine, aspartic acid, serine, glutamic acid, proline, glycine, alanine, valine, tyrosine phenylalanine, histidine, lysine and arginine. Proline, alanine, glycine, glutamic acid and serine occurred in highest concentrations, comprising 14.27, 11.88, 11.09, 9.66 and 8.15 nmoles respectively throughout the 28-day experimental period. Total free amino acids fluctuated in the course of development of accessory gland with highest load at 28 days of age.
