Bark eating caterpillars: Indarbella sp.

Symptoms of damage

• Young trees may succumb to the attack.
• Caterpillars bore into the trunk or junction of branches.
• Presence of gallery made out of silk and frass.
• Caterpillars remain hidden in the tunnel during day time come out at night and feed on the bark.

Identification of pest

• Adult is stout yellowish –brown moth with brown wavy markings on the forewings.
• Males are smaller than the females.

Management

• Remove and destroy dead and severely affected branches of the tree
• Remove alternate host, silk cotton and other hosts
• Swab Coal tar + Kerosene @ 1:2 or water on the basal portion of the trunk up to 3 feet height
• Scraping the loose bark to prevent oviposition by adult beetles.
• If infestations are severe then apply the copper oxychloride paste on the trunk of the tree.
• Hook out the grub from the bore hole

Image Source:

http://www.nbair.res.in/insectpests/Indarbela-tetraonis.php