Biological control of the coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) by Phymastichus coffea (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) in Colombia

The potential of the eulophid parasitoid Phymastichus coffea LaSalle to control coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) populations under field conditions in Colombia was evaluated. Parasitoid adults were released one, five and nine days after artificial infestations of 90-, 150- and 210-day-old coffee berries with H. hampei females. The position of the beetle inside the berry and the parasitism levels were assessed ten days after each P. coffea release. Parasitism of H. hampei by P. coffea was significantly affected by the age of the berries at the time of infestation, and by the position of the beetle inside the berries. Highest levels of parasitism were recorded in 150-day-old berries (75-85%) and in 90-day-old berries (75%) when P. coffea were released one day after the artificial infestation with H. hampei. In 150-day-old berries, highest levels of parasitism were recorded for H. hampei found in the outer layer of the endosperm followed by beetles penetrating the exocarp. Increasing the time of P. coffea releases after the artificial infestations with H. hampei led to decreased levels of parasitism in beetles attacking 90- and 150-day-old coffee berries. Low levels of parasitism were recorded in H. hampei females infesting older coffee berries because most of the beetles had already constructed galleries deep in the endosperm of the berries, i.e. out of reach of the parasitoid. The potential of P. coffea for biological control of coffee berry borer in Colombia is discussed.     

Oviposition behavior of Phymastichus coffea LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) on its natural host

Phymastichus coffea LaSalle is an African endoparasitoid of adults of the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) that was introduced into Mexico for biological control purposes. The objective of this study was to investigate the oviposition behavior of P. coffea on its host under laboratory conditions. The results indicate that P. coffea females exhibited 12 behavioral acts during and after oviposition, such as, walking, cleaning, flying, surface landing, resting, host landing, host antennation, touching the host with forelegs, host recognition, walking on the host, oviposition and cleaning after oviposition. The sequence of each behavior is described in an ethogram.     

Parasitism of the Coffee Berry Borer Hypothenemus hampei by Trichogramma pretiosum in the Laboratory

Parasitism of the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) by Trichogramma pretiosum Riley resulted in high mortality of developing parasitoids and a low prevalence of adult emergence. A laboratory colony of T. pretiosum reproducing in H. hampei failed after three generations. Adult female T. pretiosum that developed in H. hampei were smaller and produced fewer eggs than conspecifics that developed in a standard lepidopteran host, Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier). Parasitoids that emerged from H. hampei preferentially parasitized S. cerealella over H. hampei. We conclude that T. pretiosum has little potential for biocontrol of the coffee berry borer.     

Manipulating tropical fire ants to reduce the coffee berry borer

1. The coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) (Ferrari) is the most important pest of coffee production worldwide. 2. The hypothesis that the tropical fire ant, Solenopsis geminata Westwood, indirectly protects the coffee berry borer by suppressing other ant species that are the coffee berry borer's primary predators was tested. 3. It was found that removing S. geminata from coffee plots significantly increased the disappearance of adult coffee berry borer beetles from coffee berries compared with control plots. An average of 6% of beetles disappeared from plots with S. geminata whereas 23% of beetles disappeared from plots from which S. geminata was removed. This pattern was observed on two shade coffee farms with marked differences in ant species composition, one in the rainforest in central Costa Rica and one in the cloudforest in northwest Costa Rica. 4. If the results of this small‐scale study can be replicated on the farm level, then S. geminata suppression may represent a new management technique for the coffee berry borer throughout Central and South America.     

Twig-Nesting Ants: The Hidden Predators of the Coffee Berry Borer in Chiapas,Mexico

Coffee is a globally important crop that is subject to numerous pest problems, many of which are partially controlled by predatory ants. Yet several studies have proposed that these ecosystem services may be reduced where agricultural systems are more intensively managed. Here we investigate the predatory ability of twig-nesting ants on the main pest of coffee, the coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei) under different management systems in southwest Chiapas, Mexico. We conducted both laboratory and field experiments to examine which twig-nesting ant species, if any, can prey on free-living borers or can remove borers embedded in coffee fruits and whether the effects of the twig-nesting ant community differ with habitat type. Results indicate that several species of twig-nesting ants are effective predators of both free-living borers and those embedded in coffee fruits. In the lab, Pseudomyrmex ejectus, Pseudomyrmex simplex, and Pseudomyrmex PSW-53 effectively removed free-living and embedded borers. In the field, abundance, but not diversity, of twig-nesting ant colonies was influenced by shade management techniques, with the highest colony abundance present in the sites where shade trees were recently pruned. However, borer removal rates in the field were significant only in the shadiest site, but not in more intensively managed sites. This study provides evidence that twig-nesting ants can act as predators of the coffee berry borer and that the presence of twig-nesting ants may not be strongly linked to shade management intensity, as has been suggested for other arthropod predators of the borer.     

Potential of the parasitoid Heterospilus prosopidis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) as a vector of plant-pathogenic Colletotrichum spp.

A braconid parasitoid Heterospilus prosopidis was contaminated with either Colletotrichum coffeanum or C. gloeosporioides, causal agents of coffee berry disease and mango anthracnose respectively. Adult parasitoids could collect wetted and unwetted spores of both pathogens on their bodies. Viable spores were recovered in washings from these insects 10 days after infestation. Wetted spores of both species of pathogen had lower viability on the parasitoid's body than unwetted spores, probably because of the loss of the mucilage coating which protects against desiccation. The results suggest that the use of a related parasitoid, H. coffeicola, in biological control against the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei could pose a phytosanitary risk.     

Influence of host density on the reproductive strategy of Cephalonomia stephanoderis, a parasitoid of the coffee berry borer

The effect of the density of the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) on reproductive and host-feeding behaviours of the parasitoid Cephalonomia stephanoderis (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) was evaluated under laboratory conditions. The number of hosts used for oviposition was density-dependent at low host density. Beyond a density of six hosts/day, the oviposition rate reached a maximum of 1.2 eggs/day due to egg limitation. Cephalonomia stephanoderis females responded to increasing host availability with a linear increase in host feeding. Overall, parasitoids killed more coffee berry borers by feeding and paralysis than by parasitism. At low host density, the pre-oviposition phase was extended, oogenesis was delayed, more males were produced, and host feeding occasionally occurred concurrently with oviposition. We suggest that the efficacy of C. stephanoderis as a biological control agent depends on seasonal variations in host density. Inoculative vs inundative releases in coffee plantations are discussed in relation to the abundance of the coffee berry borer during the fructification and interharvest periods.     

Metaparasitylenchus hypothenemi n. sp. (Nematoda: Allantonematidae), a parasite of the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

Metaparasitylenchus hypothenemi n. sp. (Nematoda: Allantonematidae) is described from the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Curculionidae: Scolytinae), in Chiapas, Mexico. This species differs from other members of the genus by its small size, annulated cuticle, lateral fields with 3 ridges, free-living stages with an excretory pore located between the pharyngeal gland orifices, a distinct stylet with basal swellings in free-living females, a postvulval uterine extension, a thin stylet lacking basal swellings in males, 2 separate spicules, a gubernaculum, and a peloderan bursa. Parasitic females are white, with a straight or slightly curved body and are ovoviviparous. Third-stage juveniles emerge from parasitized beetles and molt twice before reaching the adult stage. Because the coffee berry borer is the most important pest of coffee throughout the world and this parasite partially or completely sterilizes female beetles, it is worthy of further investigation as a potential biological control agent.     

Cascading indirect effects in a coffee agroecosystem: effects of parasitic phorid flies on ants and the coffee berry borer in a high-shade and low-shade habitat

Nonconsumptive effects (NCE) of parasites on hosts vary with habitat complexity thereby modifying trait-mediated effects on lower trophic levels. In coffee agroecosystems, Pseudacteon sp. phorid fly parasites negatively affect Azteca instabilis F. Smith ants via NCE thereby indirectly benefiting prey. It is unknown how differences in habitat complexity influence Azteca-phorid interactions or how phorids affect the coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei Ferrari), an important pest of coffee (Coffea arabica L). We tested the following hypotheses in field and lab experiments to find the impact of NCE of phorids on A. instabilis and trait-mediated indirect effects of phorids on the coffee berry borer: (1) Phorid effects on A. instabilis differ between complex and simple shade habitats and (2) Phorids, by modifying A. instabilis behavior, indirectly affect coffee berry borer abilities to invade coffee berries. Phorids had greater impacts on A. instabilis activity in low-shade farms, but differences in phorid impacts were not mediated by phorid density or light availability. In the lab, phorids had strong cascading effects on abilities of A. instabilis to deter coffee berry borers. Without phorids, A. instabilis limited coffee berry borer attacks, whereas when the coffee berry borer was alone or with A. instabilis and phorids, more coffee fruits were attacked by coffee berry borer. These results indicate that A. instabilis has stronger biological control potential in high-shade farms, but the exact mechanism deserves further attention.     

Natural parasitism of Metaparasitylenchus hypothenemi (Tylenchida: Allantonematidae) on the coffee berry borer in Chiapas,Mexico

We assessed the parasitism of Metaparasitylenchus hypothenemi on its host, the coffee berry borer, in 20 coffee plantations of Mexico. A total of 23,568 adult borers were dissected, with 179 of these infected with nematodes (0.76% infection rate). Although the level of parasitism is not encouraging, the nematode is another natural enemy, which limits the population growth of this pest in Mexico.     

Abiotic mortality factors of the coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei)

Mortality of the coffee berry borer was studied under controlled laboratory conditions in Tapachula, Mexico. For adult female borers subjected to a range of relative humidities (RH) without food at 25°C, the longest mean survival time (20 days) was obtained at 93.5% RH. Adult borer survival was also studied at a range of temperatures for a fixed relative humidity (93.5% RH); at 20°C mean survival time was 28 days. Fecundity and mortality of borer stages in berries was studied for a range of humidities at 25°C. Maximum fecundity was obtained at 90 and 93.5% RH. Immature stages were ejected from the berry at 84% RH and above, which is interpreted as a form of brood hygiene.     

Artificial diet sandwich reveals subsocial behaviour in the coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

An artificial diet sandwich, consisting of coffee berry borer artificial diet within two glass plates, has been developed to elucidate the behaviour of the coffee berry borer, an insect that in nature spends most of its life cycle inside the coffee berry. Various types of behaviour have been observed for the first time, including gallery construction, oviposition, gallery blocking, mating and most remarkably, subsocial tasks such as maternal sanitation and tending of eggs and larvae. This observational technique is a breakthrough for studies and manipulations of the coffee berry borer's social behaviour and could be applicable to other bark beetles, consequently yielding important insights into the origin of parental care in scolytine beetles.     

Mating Behavior of the Coffee Berry Borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

The mating behavior of the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari), was observed under laboratory conditions. Pairs of adult virgin male and female beetles were placed in the wells of a polystyrene microtiter plate, one pair per well. The mating activity of each pair was recorded for 24?h. The mating behavior of the coffee berry borer was similar to that of other Scolytinae and was clearly divided into precopulatory, copulatory and postcopulatory phases. The beetles started to mate within a few hours of emergence. Repeated mating occurred during the 24-hour period and increased in frequency with age. However, we cannot address multiple matings in H. hampei, since we did not simulate the female-biased sex ratio of this species and the experimental design did not allow females to avoid additional mating attempts by males. In addition, further studies are necessary that focus on the effectiveness of sperm transmission and direct and indirect effects of multiple matings on the H. hampei females and their offspring.     

Coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): searching for sustainable control strategies

The coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) is the most serious pest of the world's most valuable tropical export crop. Since the last review on this insect was published six years ago, many new studies have contributed to an improved insight into the biology and ecology of the beetle, and have indicated new avenues for integrated and biological control. The latest developments in research, both laboratory and field, on the pest, its natural enemies and their implications for integrated control of H. hampei are summarized, with a particular focus on the situation in The Americas. Lately, the global coffee industry has changed radically; it has suffered a long cycle of lowest-ever world market prices caused by overproduction and technological change. At the same time, the advent of sustainable certification schemes has had a major impact on the industry. The role of integrated pest management and biological control of H. hampei in an era of changes in the coffee industry is discussed.     

Polymorphic microsatellite loci in the Coffee Berry Borer,Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera,Scolytidae)

Microsatellite loci were isolated from the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei, which is regarded as the major pest in coffee cultures. Seven polymorphic loci were obtained from an enriched genomic library. A low to moderate genetic diversity was observed per locus, with an observed number of alleles ranging from two to five in the 39 unrelated individuals sampled from Ethiopia. A clear deficit of heterozygotes within the population (mean heterozygosities, H_O = 0.10/H_E = 0.50) and an extreme inbreeding (F_IS, 0.70–1.00) were demonstrated. Cross‐species amplifications showed that some of the markers could be useful in two closely related Hypothenemus species.     

Economic injury level for the coffee berry borer (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) using attractive traps in Brazilian coffee fields

The currently existing sample procedures available for decision-making regarding the control of the coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) are time-consuming, expensive, and difficult to perform, compromising their adoption. In addition, the damage functions incorporated in such decision levels only consider the quantitative losses, while dismissing the qualitative losses. Traps containing ethanol, methanol, and benzaldehyde may allow cheap and easy decision-making. Our objective was to determine the economic injury level (EIL) for the adults of the coffee berry borer by using attractant-baited traps. We considered both qualitative and quantitative losses caused by the coffee borer in estimating the EILs. These EILs were determined for conventional and organic coffee under high and average plant yield. When the quantitative losses caused by H. hampei were considered alone, the EILs ranged from 7.9 to 23.7% of bored berries for high and average-yield conventional crops, respectively. For high and average-yield organic coffee the ELs varied from 24.4 to 47.6% of bored berries, respectively. When qualitative and quantitative losses caused by the pest were considered together, the EIL was 4.3% of bored berries for both conventional and organic coffee. The EILs for H. hampei associated to the coffee plants in the flowering, pinhead fruit, and ripening fruit stages were 426, 85, and 28 adults per attractive trap, respectively.     

Aphanogmus sp. (Hymenoptera: Ceraphronidae): a hyperparasitoid of the coffee berry borer parasitoid Prorops nasuta (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) in Kenya

This is the first report of a hyperparasitoid of Prorops nasuta, a primary parasitoid of the coffee berry borer. Aphanogmus sp. is a gregarious ectoparasitoid of larval and pupal stages of P. nasuta, which was found in coffee berry samples collected on the ground of an organic coffee plantation in Western Kenya. The hyperparasitoid shows a clear pattern of emergence from year to year, following its host. Aphanogmus sp. parasitizes around 10% of P. nasuta immature stages under field conditions.     

Spiroacetals in the Colonization Behaviour of the Coffee Berry Borer: A ‘Push-Pull’ System

Coffee berries are known to release several volatile organic compounds, among which is the spiroacetal, conophthorin, an attractant for the coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei. Elucidating the effects of other spiroacetals released by coffee berries is critical to understanding their chemo-ecological roles in the host discrimination and colonization process of the coffee berry borer, and also for their potential use in the management of this pest. Here, we show that the coffee berry spiroacetals frontalin and 1,6-dioxaspiro [4.5] decane (referred thereafter as brocain), are also used as semiochemicals by the coffee berry borer for host colonization. Bioassays and chemical analyses showed that crowding coffee berry borers from 2 to 6 females per berry, reduced borer fecundity, which appeared to correlate with a decrease in the emission rates of conophthorin and frontalin over time. In contrast, the level of brocain did not vary significantly between borer- uninfested and infested berries. Brocain was attractive at lower doses, but repellent at higher doses while frontalin alone or in a blend was critical for avoidance. Field assays with a commercial attractant comprising a mixture of ethanol and methanol (1∶1), combined with frontalin, confirmed the repellent effect of this compound by disrupting capture rates of H. hampei females by 77% in a coffee plantation. Overall, our results suggest that the levels of frontalin and conophthorin released by coffee berries determine the host colonization behaviour of H. hampei, possibly through a ‘push-pull’ system, whereby frontalin acts as the ‘push’ (repellent) and conophthorin acting as the ‘pull’ (attractant). Furthermore, our results reveal the potential use of frontalin as a repellent for management of this coffee pest.     

Alternative Hosts for Bethylid Parasitoids of the Coffee Berry Borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Three species of bethylid wasps, Prorops nasuta Waterston, Cephalonomia stephanoderis Betrem, and C. hyalinipennis Ashmead, attack the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), by both predation and parasitism. C. hyalinipennis has only recently been reported to attack H. hampei. Its previously recorded hosts belong to the coleopteran families Curculionidae, Anobiidae, and Scolytidae. We evaluated five further coleopteran species, in the families Curculionidae, Bostrichidae, and Bruchidae, as alternative hosts. High proportions of all five species were both fed upon and oviposited on (normally by concurrent host feeding). Offspring developmental mortality varied greatly (12–95%) on different host species. Offspring production per host was about three times greater than on H. hampei when females were presented with the curculionids Caulophilus oryzae (Gyllenhal) and two species of Sitophilus. C. stephanoderis and P. nasuta are currently the main biological control agents of H. hampei: they have long been thought to be monophagous but C. stephanoderis has recently been reported to attack H. obscurus. We evaluated C. oryzae, as a potential host or prey for P. nasuta, and both C. oryzae and Sitophilus sp. for C. stephanoderis. Host feeding was very common in both parasitoid species. The majority of females also oviposited on C. oryzae (71% P. nasuta, 60% C. stephanoderis) and 20% of C. stephanoderis parasitized Sitophilus sp. Fifty-two percent of C. stephanoderis and 7% of P. nasuta offspring survived to adulthood when developing on C. oryzae. The lifetime fecundities of these parasitoids presented with these host species were, however, low (maximum 17 eggs, mean ≤ 8.25) and preoviposition periods were generally long (ca. 19 days). Adult female C. stephanoderis lived longer when presented C. oryzae rather than Sitophilus sp. Host feeding also increased longevity. We discuss these results in the context of mass rearing these bethylids for release as biological control agents.     

A review of the biology and control of the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei Ferrari, is a serious problem for the majority of the world's coffee growers and has proved to be one of the most intractable of present day pests. Despite a great deal of research, control still depends largely on the application of the organochlorine insecticide endosulfan, which is damaging to the environment, or a series of cultural and biological control methods which give variable and unpredictable results. This review summarizes the most important aspects of the biology and ecology of H. hampei and its control and identifies weak points in the knowledge about this pest. Emphasis is placed upon an analysis of the non-chemical control methods available and suggestions are offered for novel ecological and environmental factors worthy of further research, in the search for viable and sustainable control methods.