BIONOMICS OF OBEREA SP.

The longhorn beetle Oberea sp. belongs to family Cerambycidae, subfamily Lamiinae. It is the most important borer pest attacking camphor tree Cinnamonum gladuliferum. Injury was done by the larvae feeding in the one- or two-year old twigs and shoots. The young trees can be seriously affected or die off. Our investigation made in Ji-an Prefecture, Jiangxi Province, showed that the incidence in the infected stands averaged 42.8%. This pest is now widely distributed through Jiangxi Province, in elevation from 50 to 600 meters.The pest has one generation a year; the mature larvae pass over winter in twigs cut and falling onto the ground. The duration of larval development lasts 321 days and 143 days were used for feeding activity. Pupation takes place when the maximum temperature remains 14℃ or above for a ten-day period, and reaches peak when it is 20℃or above in another 10 days. Adults emerge when the average maximum temperature in a ten-day period reaches 25℃. The larvae would develop fast during their. fourth and fifth instars from early August to mid-October.An easy control measure for this pest is to collect and burn the cut twigs and shoots in which the larvae hibernate. To cut off the affected branches in the management of young camphor tree stands can also yield good result.