What Is the Coffee Berry Borer? How It Affects Kona Coffee Farms
The coffee berry borer (CBB) is one of the most damaging pests affecting coffee farms around the world, including farms here in Hawai‘i. This tiny beetle, Hypothenemus hampei, bores into coffee cherries and feeds on the coffee seed inside—the part that eventually becomes the coffee bean we roast and brew. Because CBB spends much of its life inside the coffee cherry, it can be difficult to detect and control. The pest was first discovered in Hawai‘i in 2010 and has since become an important concern for coffee growers throughout the state. For Kona coffee farmers, protecting the crop from CBB is an important part of producing healthy coffee and maintaining quality from the orchard to the cup.
Managing coffee berry borer requires consistent attention throughout the growing and harvesting seasons. Kona farmers use several practices together, including field sanitation, frequent picking, monitoring traps, and biological controls such as Beauveria bassiana. Removing coffee cherries that remain on the trees or fall to the ground can help reduce places where CBB can survive and reproduce. Frequent harvesting also helps remove ripe cherries before they become a source of additional pest activity, while monitoring traps allow farmers to keep track of CBB populations in the orchard. Using multiple management practices together helps reduce the impact of this tiny pest and protect the health of the coffee crop.
At Huahua Farm, careful orchard management is an important part of growing quality Kona coffee. Producing great coffee begins long before the beans are roasted—it starts with healthy coffee trees, carefully tended fruit, and attention to the many challenges that come with farming in Hawai‘i. Coffee berry borer is just one of those challenges. When you enjoy a cup of 100% Kona coffee, you're tasting the result of months of work in the orchard and the care that goes into every step of the process. Shop Huahua Farm's 100% Kona Coffee and taste coffee grown right here in Kona.
Sources:
https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/site/cbbmanage.aspx
