What is the Coffee Berry Borer?

The Coffee Berry Borer - Hypothenemus hampei, known as broca in Spanish - is a tiny black beetle and one of the most economically damaging agricultural pests in the world. The adult female drills into a coffee cherry and lays eggs inside the bean. The larvae feed on the endosperm, destroying the seed from the inside out.

CBB is present in virtually every major coffee-producing country and estimated to cause hundreds of millions of dollars in crop losses annually. Infested beans produce visible entry holes in green coffee, and even partially damaged beans contribute hollow or fermented off-flavours in the cup.

Management combines prompt harvesting (limiting entry opportunity), alcohol-baited traps, biological controls using the Beauveria bassiana fungus, and where necessary pesticide application. Processing speed matters too - the faster cherry is processed after harvest, the less time larvae have to cause further damage inside the bean.