Published methods to isolate DNA from insects are not always effective in
xylophagous insects because they have high concentrations of phenolics and other
secondary plant compounds in their digestive tracts. A simple, reliable and labor-effective
cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-polyvinylpyrrolidone (CTAB-PVP) method for
isolation of high quality DNA from xylophagous insects is described. This method
was successfully applied to PCR and restriction analysis, indicating removal of
common inhibitors. DNA isolated by the CTAB-PVP method could be used in most
molecular analyses