Fish meal was used as attractant in four trap types for assessing the relative abundance and species composition of sorghum shoot flies, which are major pests in the wetter southern zones of Burkina Faso. Trapping was carried out in 1988 and 1989 during the rainy season in Bobo‐Dioulasso. Three trap models were effective in catchingAtherigona soccata:(1) water trap, (2) Multi‐Pher and (3) ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for Semi‐Arid Tropics) traps. Multi‐Pher and water traps were the most efficient. The advantages and disadvantages of each model are discussed. Identification of male flies demonstrated the presence of 34 species of the subgenusAtherigonaand two species of the subgenusAcritochaetawithAtherigona soccata, A. occidentalisDeeming andA. tomentigeravan Emden being predominant. Thirteen species were new records to Burkina Faso:A. aberransMalloch,A. africanaDeeming,A. fililobaDeeming,A. gabonensisDeeming,A. gilvifoliavan Emden,A. griseiventrisvan Emden,A. hyalinipennisvan Emden,A. medleriDeeming,A. nigrapicalisDeeming,A. pullaWiedemann,A. ruficornisStein,Acritochaeta yorkiDeeming. A new speciesAtherigona(s.s.) sp. n. will be described elsewhere.