Development of an improved laboratory production technique for the coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei, using fresh coffee berries

The suitability of a mixture of plaster of Paris and charcoal as a means to regulate the moisture content of coffee berries and the relative humidity (moisture conditions) of the rearing environment and its impact on rearing the coffee berry borer (CBB), Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), was evaluated under laboratory conditions using two types of coffee. Coffee berries were kept individually in vials with a 1-cm layer of the mixture, and the fresh weight of the berries was assessed, as well as the penetration of CBB into the berries, its survival, and its progeny production over a period of 55 days. Significantly higher survival and progeny production was achieved when using the mixture regardless of the coffee type. Compared to the vials without plaster of Paris/charcoal, a six- to sevenfold increase in survivorship of the F1 was recorded when using plaster of Paris/charcoal and in the latter treatment berries harboured on average more than 100 individuals, whereas only 1.7 in the vials without plaster of Paris.