In West Africa, Callosobruchus maculatus Fabricius mainly develops on cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walpers) and sometimes on Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdcourt). A survey on the development of a C. maculatus strain selected on cowpea was undertaken during eight generations on two local varieties of Bambara to determine their level of acceptability and suitability for the pest and its evolution over time and successive generations. When C. maculatus females were in contact with seeds from both Bambara varieties for the first time, they laid fewer eggs on these hosts in comparison with cowpea. However, females that have developed inside Bambara cv. Local Beige seeds deposited more eggs on their hosts of origin from the first generation onwards. The same result was obtained on Bambara cv. Local Striped seeds from the F4 generation onwards. Egg viability was not affected by host variability. On the contrary, the larval survival was significantly reduced on Bambara seeds. Larval survival and intrinsic rates of natural increase were improved on both Bambara varieties with successive generations in comparison to cowpea. Our results demonstrate that in a non-choice situation, C. maculatus is able to develop on both Bambara cv. and even increase its reproduction potential over successive generations, regardless of the climatic variations. The results help to better understand why C. maculatus is becoming a serious concern on Bambara in West Africa where the pest is frequently in contact with this occasional host.