5.  Stem borer: Apriona cinerea (Lamiidae: Coleoptera)

Distribution and status: Pakisatn, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Host range: Apple, peach, fig and other fruit trees.

Damage symptoms:
        
Grub feeding results in branches having small circular hole with mass of excreta. Chewed up wood particles protrude out; bark gnawed and leaves defoliated; shoots with circuitous galleries; trunk hollowed out and the infested trees remain stunted. Adult beetles feed on bark and have an unusual habit of cutting more than they actually consume. Vitality and productivity is greatly impaired.

Bionomics

Female lays eggs inside the cavity, excavated on shoots, egg period 7-9 days.  Grubs undergo hibernation during winter and resume feeding in March. Grubs pupate inside the tunnel, pupal period 30-35 days. Life cycle is completed in about 2 years.

Management

Prune and burn all attacked shoots and branches during winter.
Locate live holes and inject with carbon disulphide or cholorform or petrol and seal with mud to kill the adults.
Plug cotton wick soaked with dimethoate 30 EC or methyl demeton 25 EC or dichlorvos 76 EC  10 ml or aluminium phosphide tablet 0.2 g inside the hole and cover with mud.