Introduction

Welcome. This course equips agronomists, estate managers, and agricultural consultants with the technical, behavioral, and ecological proficiencies required to master the management of the coffee berry borer (CBB, Hypothenemus hampei). Grounded in berry phenology, precision population trapping, and conservation biocontrol, this curriculum establishes actionable protocols to eradicate prophylactic neurotoxic chemical sprays, lower residual berry damage, and safeguard specialty cup quality.

The Challenge

The coffee berry borer is the most economically destructive monophagous insect pest in coffee-producing regions worldwide, capable of infesting over 90% of developing fruits under unmanaged conditions. Agronomic control is hindered by two biological bottlenecks:

• The Window of Vulnerability: The colonizing female borer is susceptible to contact biopesticides, chemical actives, and macro-predators solely while initiating boring in the fruit exocarp (Position A/B). Once the female excavates through the endosperm into the internal seed tissue and establishes reproductive galleries (Position C/D), it is hermetically protected within the bean, rendering external contact insecticides ineffective.
• Inter-Harvest Reservoir Dynamics: During the inter-harvest period, reproductive adults survive and aggregate within dry residual berries (leftover unpicked berries and soil fallen fruit). The historical reliance on persistent broad-spectrum neurotoxins (such as organophosphates and organochlorines) has decimated beneficial arthropod complexes, triggered secondary pest flare-ups, and increased the risk of chemical residues in commercial export lots.

The management challenge demands transitioning from reactionary blanket spraying toward a coordinated agroecological strategy that targets the borer during its vulnerable pre-entry window and halts inter-harvest reproduction.

Course Objectives

By completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Quantify Infestation Kinetics and Boring Phenology: Implement the standardized “Thirty Trees Method” and alcohol trapping arrays to calculate accurate field infestation percentages and determine the proportion of boring positions (Position A/B vs. C/D).
2. Synchronize Sanitary and Entomopathogenic Interventions: Direct intensive sanitation harvesting regimes to eliminate inter-harvest reservoirs and calibrate Beauveria bassiana spray timings to match fruit dry-matter accumulation (>20%).
3. Implement Push-Pull Dynamics and Biocontrol Conservation: Deploy semiochemical attractant grids, repellent botanical barriers, and habitat modifications that protect natural parasitoids and predatory ant complexes.