A review of the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), in Colombia

Abstract

The coffee berry borer (cbb) Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari), is the most important pest of coffee not only in Colombia but in almost all coffee producing countries, causing severe crop losses for growers. Given that it a pest introduced to Colombia without its natural enemies, the first strategy was to introduce its agents of biological control from Africa to Colombia such as the parasitoids, Cephalonomia stephanoderis, Prorops nasuta and Phymastichus coffea. Research was then undertaken with the fungus Beauveria bassiana to obtain strains with pathogenic activity to cbb. Mass rearing processes were developed for these biological control agents to permit their dissemination in the entire coffee-growing region infested by the borer. Afterwards, a management program was structured for the coffee farm, which included knowledge of crop phenology and cbb development, evaluation of infestation levels, cultural control and agronomic practices that reduce cbb incidence, avoiding escape of the insect during the coffee processing phase, together with the biological components mentioned above. Use of chemical insecticides is restricted to products of low toxicity and low environmental impact and these should be applied in those situations where infestation levels merit it, especially in areas where cbb is found aggregated. The integration of all these activities to maintain cbb populations at low levels has been shown to be viable under the coffee-growing conditions of Colombia, as has been demonstrated in research results.