A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF SYNANTHEDON CASTANEVORA ON CHESTNUT TREES

Synanthedon castanevora Yang et Wang seriously infests chestnut trees by boring tree trunks. The average rate of affected trees reached 62.9% in Qianxi County, Hebei province in 1986. There are five instars in the larvae stage and two generations a year in this area. It overwinters in the larvae stage. There are three kinds of larvae parasites, of which Apanteles sp. is the dominant one. Scraping scars on the tree trunks in early spring, on which the eggs are laid and using insecticides to kill the newly hatched larvae and adults are effective control measures.