Red-necked longhorn beetle

Aromia bungii

1. Identification

• Common name: Red-necked longhorn beetle
• Scientific name: Aromia bungii Faldermann
• Order: Coleoptera
• Family: Cerambycidae

2. Pest description

• Adults: large beetles (25–40 mm); shiny black body; characteristic orange-red pronotum (neck); long antennae, especially in males.
• Larvae: legless, cream-coloured, with a cylindrical and robust body; they develop inside the wood, excavating deep galleries.
• Pupae: form inside the larval galleries, within the trunk or thick branches.
• Eggs: laid in bark crevices, generally at the base of the trunk or on main branches.

3. Main hosts

• Stone fruit trees: peach, cherry, plum, apricot.
• Other woody Rosaceae may be affected.
• Preference for weakened trees, but it also attacks healthy trees.

4. Symptoms and damage

• Oval perforations in the bark, frequently with exudation of fresh sawdust (frass).
• Extensive galleries in the trunk and main branches, interrupting sap flow.
• Cracks in the bark and drying of branches.
• Progressive decline of the canopy, yellowing and premature leaf drop.
• Death of the tree in severe or repeated attacks.
• High economic impact in stone fruit orchards.

5. Biological cycle

• Generally biennial cycle, which may vary between 1 and 3 years depending on the climate.
• Eggs laid in summer; larvae penetrate the wood rapidly.
• Prolonged larval development, with excavation of deep galleries.
• Pupation inside the wood, generally in spring.
• Adults emerge in summer, with flight peaks between June and August.
• Overwintering as a larva inside the wood.

6. Monitoring

• Observation of fresh sawdust exudation at the base of the trunk and branches.
• Identification of adult emergence holes.
• Visual inspection of weakened trees or trees with symptoms of decline.
• Specific pheromone traps for the detection of adults.
• Intensive monitoring in stone fruit orchards and urban areas with host trees.

7. Management measures

• Cultural: removal and destruction of heavily attacked trees; elimination of infested wood; avoiding water and nutritional stress of the trees.
• Biological: research in progress on parasitoids and entomopathogens, but still with limited efficacy.
• Integrated protection: rigorous monitoring, early intervention, use of pheromone traps for detection and population reduction; judicious application of authorised insecticides when necessary.

Bibliographic references

• EPPO Global Database – Aromia bungii.
• CABI Invasive Species Compendium – Aromia bungii.
• Hérard, F. et al. (2017). Aromia bungii: biology, distribution and management.
• EPPO (2019). PM 9/25: Aromia bungii – National regulatory control systems.
• Garonna, A. P., & Nugnes, F. (2011). First record of Aromia bungii in Europe. Bulletin of Insectology.