Life History and Natural Enemy of a Bamboo Borer.
(Omphisa sp., Pyralidae : Lepidoptera).
Paitoon Leksawasdi(1995).
Biology Department, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University.
Bamboo borer or Nae, Omphisa sp, are abundant in the mountains of northern Thailand. The larvae develop inside the stems of bamboo. They are edible and are collected and sold by local people. The are also preyed upon woodpeckers. Surveys were conducted by interviewing 47 local people about their knowledge of this stem borers using a structured questionaire. The wholesale price quoted by hill tribe people was 80-120 bath/kg. Frying is the favorite cooking method.
Experiments are in progress to rear borer in the mountains. The adult and egg stages were 5-14 days in August. Larvae bore a hole in the bamboo stem (pai hok). The inner pulp is destroyed. Then the larvae bore their way through the inner nodes moving upwards inside the stem. External signs are the hole at the stem, shortened internode and stiffened sheaths. The larval stage is 280-304 days in August to May. When almost mature, larvae migrate back down the stem into the old segment which they bored first of all. The pupal stage is 30-40 days. The moths emerge from the entrance hole. Collection by man, rather than predation by wood-pecker, is more important as a factor limiting population of borers.
