Monitoring for common coffee pests and diseases, including the coffee berry borer, is essential to protect your coffee plants and ensure a healthy and productive harvest. Here’s how to identify, manage, and prevent coffee pests and diseases:
1. Coffee Berry Borer (Hypothenemus hampei):
The coffee berry borer is a tiny beetle that infests coffee cherries, laying its eggs inside the coffee beans. Larvae feed on the beans, damaging them and reducing quality. Monitoring: Regularly inspect coffee cherries for small, round exit holes, pinhead-sized black beetles, and discolored or damaged beans. Management: Harvest cherries promptly when they ripen, as the borer prefers overripe or damaged cherries. Implement a pest control program, which may include the use of traps, natural predators, or chem