Effective pest management

Coffee can be attacked by a range of pests, including beetles such as the coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei) and the white coffee stem borer (Monochamus leuconotus), green scales, mealy bugs and nematodes. With proper management practices, however, coffee farmers will not have problems with most pests, and developing pests will not, in most cases, result in economic losses.

The most important coffee pest is the coffee berry borer. Adult females of this insect bore holes into the coffee berry, where they deposit their eggs. Upon hatching, the larvae feed on the coffee seeds inside the berry, thus reducing yield and quality of the marketable product. Many natural enemies of the coffee berry borer have been reported, including parasitoids, predators such as ants, birds and thrips, nematodes, and fungal entomopathogens.

Therefore, the coffee berry borer can be controlled by:

• Encouraging natural enemies - The presence of different plant species within the coffee garden encourages a diversity of organisms to survive including natural enemies to coffee pests. This can be encouraged by introducing shade trees and cover crops. They provide the habitat for the natural enemies that feed on the pests.
• Proper cultural management - Proper sanitation by regular removal and destruction of infected branches and leaves, prompt harvesting and collection of fallen beans from beneath trees. Restricting the movement of organic materials like mulches from one garden to another reduces development of pests. Nursery seedlings can also be protected by using natural sprays such as black jack, tephrosia or neem extracts or by covering them under nets.