Insect Pests of Fruit, Plantation, Medicinal & Aromatic Crops (2+1)

2. Orange trunk borer - Anoplophora versteegi Ritsema. (Lamiidae: Coleoptera)

Damage

• The grub tunnels into the trunk and feeds on the internal content of the trunk resulting the death of the tree.
• The adult beetle feeds on the leaf tissue along the mid rib, keeping the margins intact.
Bionomics

• The female beetle lays eggs singly in cracks on bark up to 2 feet height from the ground.
• A single female lays about 33-85 eggs.
• The grub feeds on sap wood making horizontal galleries before it enter into centre of the trunk.
• The larval period is 267-290 days. It pupates inside the gallery for 33-43 days.
Management

• Hand picks the adults by shaking the trees and kills them.
• Paint the base of the tree trunk with persistent insecticides.