Coffee berry borer
Coffee berry borer infestation
Coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei), the most harmful beetle to the arabica coffee crop was found out in Kona coast plantations in September 2010 by a graduate student of University of Hawaii .
It is unknown how the miniscule beetle got to Kona but the size of the infestation indicates that it has been going for some years.
By late November the Hawaii Department of Agriculture declared a quarantine on all green (unroasted) beans leaving the island.
Fumigation with a chemical such as methyl bromide or a six-step procedure was needed.
Beauveria bassiana
The price of Kona coffee was expected to rise even further (up to $50 per pound by December 2010) if the infestation lingers or spreads, because the insect has the potential to reduce crop yields up to 90%. Some growers suspected that drought had reduced the fungus Beauveria bassiana, which might have kept the beettle population under control for years.
Coffee berry borer
Coffee borer beetle
The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei, is a small beetle native to Africa. It is recognised as the most harmful pest to coffee crops world wide.
The maturation of the insect (from egg to adult) lasts between 24 and 45 days, varying according to the weather. Usually, the female drills the berry through the central disc, even though it can enter through the side walls if the fruit is dry. Two days after the access, the beetle lays 35--50 eggs, which produce 13 females for each male. The length or life for females is 35--190 days and for males 40 days. The new insects mate inside the seed. Some females lay the eggs in the same coffee plant, others colonise new ones. The males never leave the fruit.
The same plant can host three to five generations of beetles. Up to a hundred beetles can be located in a sole fruit. The insect is very sensitive to desiccation, and waits for the rains to leave the fruit. The most affected areas in the crops are the shady and moist ones.