The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): a short review, with recent findings and future research directions

Abstract

The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari), is the most devastating insect pest of coffee throughout the world. Adult females bore a hole in the coffee berry, where they deposit their eggs; upon hatching, larvae feed on the coffee seeds inside the berry, thus reducing yield and quality of the marketable product. The insect spends most of its life inside the coffee berry, making it extremely difficult to control. This paper presents a short review of the literature dealing with natural enemies of the coffee berry borer, on the possible use of fungal endophytes as a biocontrol strategy, and on factors that might be involved in attracting the insect towards the coffee plant. The paper identifies some areas where research efforts should be focused to increase the chances of successfully developing an effective pest management strategy against the coffee berry borer.