Divisi
Coffee berry borer
Hypothenemus hampei · Insect
Photo: L. Shyamal · CC BY-SA 3.0
The coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei) is a tiny black beetle — the single most serious insect pest of coffee in the world. The female drills a small round hole into the crown (navel) end of a developing berry — the tip away from the stalk — and tunnels into the bean inside, where she lays her eggs. Her pale grubs and several generations then feed and breed hidden inside the very seed you sell. Because it destroys the part you harvest and survives from one season to the next in berries left on the tree and on the ground, it is beaten far more by clean, complete picking than by any spray.
L. Shyamal · CC BY-SA 3.0 
L. Shyamal · CC BY-SA 3.0
Why it matters
Coffee berry borer is the most damaging insect of coffee, and a bad attack can cost you up to 40% of your crop — almost half. Worse, it eats the bean itself, the part you sell: bored beans come out holed, mouldy and light, so you lose both weight and grade (price). Once the female tunnels inside the bean, no spray can reach her — several generations breed hidden in a single berry, and the beetle survives in leftover berries on the tree and ground to attack again next season. That is why this fight is won by prevention and a ruthless, clean harvest, not by the sprayer.
When to act
About 5 percent of berries showing fresh entry holes at the blossom (crown) end.
This guidance is general, compiled from published agronomic references including FAO and CABI. Thresholds and timing shift with your crop, your variety and the season.
In much of the region a spray is simply called mushonga — medicine. But a chemical group you cannot name is one you cannot rotate, and a product you did not write down has no pre-harvest interval you can observe. Mushonga, and other farming words →
The full coffee berry borer field guide
- Identify it
- Scout for it
- Control it
13 field-guide sections in the app
The full guide to coffee berry borer — every symptom to check, how and when to walk your field looking for it, and the controls that actually work, ranked. Built into your crop plan, so you are told to look before it costs you a harvest.
Crops it affects
Frequently asked questions
How do I identify coffee berry borer?
The first sign — a tiny round hole at the "wrong" end of the berry. Look at the crown (navel) end, the tip away from the stalk: the borer leaves a small, clean, round pin-prick hole there, often ringed with fine pale powder (frass — the sawdust-like borings and droppings she pushes out as she digs). On the tree, badly attacked berries ripen unevenly and drop early, and the beans inside end up holed, mouldy and light, so they are downgraded when you sell.
When should I take action against coffee berry borer?
About 5 percent of berries showing fresh entry holes at the blossom (crown) end.
How do I control coffee berry borer?
Prevent it first — pick clean and pick often (your strongest weapon). The borer survives between seasons inside berries left behind, so never let ripe or over-ripe cherries linger on the tree — pick ripe berries frequently and completely all through harvest. This simple, timely picking on its own is the single most effective thing you can do — worth far more than any spray.
Which crops does coffee berry borer affect?
Among the crops covered here: Arabica coffee, Robusta coffee.
Catch it before it costs you a harvest
Divisi builds scouting into your crop plan — it tells you when to walk your field, what to look for at that stage, and what to do when you find it. Free for farmers, works offline.
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