A simple technique to capture, contain and monitor the fresh-emerging beetles of tree borers.

Wood-boring insects are among the most destructive pests of forest, plantation and fruit trees. They belong mainly to the Order Coleoptera and important groups of tree borers include metallic wood boring beetles (Buprestidae), longhorned beetles (Cerambycidae), and bark and ambrosia beetles (Scolytidae) (Beeson, 1941). The larvae of insect borers remain cryptic inside the stem or trunk and feed predominately on subcortical tissues, which consist primarily of the inner bark, phloem, and immature xylem (Potter and Potter, 2008). They make extensive galleries or tunnels that run throughout the vascular tissue of the host trees. The damage results in girdling, die back, structural weakness, decline and eventual death of trees (Shivananda et al., 2012). The grub is the damaging stage and has a prolonged period ranging from 6-8 months. After pupation inside the trunk, adults emerge and fly out by making characteristic exit holes. Flight period of adult beetles takes place any time between June and August (Palaniswamy et al., 1977).