Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) is a powerful DNA fingerprinting technique for studying genetic rela-tionships and genetic diversity in insects. However, the crucial prerequisite for AFLP analysis is to extract DNA of high quality. In this study, we evaluate four different protocols (SDS method, improved SDS method, CTAB method and a complex method with SDS and CTAB) for isolating DNA from the seabuckthorn carpenter moth (Holcocerrus hippophaecolus (Lepidoptera: Cossidae)). The results indicate that the CTAB method does not produce DNA suitable for AFLP analysis. The SDS method and the complex method with SDS and CTAB are comparatively time-consuming and resulted in low yields of DNA and were therefore not used for AFLP assay. The improved SDS method is recommended for preparing DNA templates from H. hippophaecolus for AFLP analysis.