Pilot testing of an area-wide biological control strategy against the coffee berry borer in Colombia using African parasitoids

Authors: BENAVIDES, P - Cenicafe; GIL, Z - Cenicafe; ESCOBAR, L - Cenicafe; NAVARRO-ESCALANTE, LUCIO - Cenicafe; Follett, Peter; DIAZ-SOLTERO, H - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

Submitted to: Insects
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/3/2023
Publication Date: 11/9/2023
Citation: Benavides, P., Gil, Z.N., Escobar, L., Navarro-Escalante, L., Follett, P.A., Diaz-Soltero, H. 2023. Pilot testing of an area-wide biological control strategy against the coffee berry borer in Colombia using African parasitoids. Insects. 14(11). Article 865. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14110865.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14110865

Interpretive Summary: The coffee berry borer (CBB), called “broca del café” in Spanish, is originally from Africa. It invaded Colombia in 1988. Classical biological control was attempted through the importation of African parasitoids, but after repeated releases, most of the parasitoid species did not get established. The objective of this research was to determine if releases of the parasitoid Prorops nasuta in dispersal coffee plots, followed by releases of the parasitoid Phymastichus coffea in colonization plots within coffee farms, could lead to an overall decrease in the damage caused by CBB to coffee plants in coffee farms. The results showed that CBB populations decreased in both the dispersal and the colonization of coffee plots, resulting in lower levels of CBB infestation in coffee berries in the field and reduced crop loss. Well-timed and targeted release of these African parasitoids could be used in an area-wide control program against coffee berry borer to lower population levels, reduce crop damage, and replace the use of chemical insecticides in an integrated pest management (IPM) program.

Technical Abstract: The coffee berry borer (CBB), Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari, 1867) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), is a major global insect pest of coffee from Africa. It has invaded many coffee production areas around the world that do not have CBB’s specialized natural enemies. In this study, two African parasitoids, Prorops nasuta Waterston (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) and Phymastichus coffea Waterston (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), were mass-reared for field release against H. hampei in Chinchiná, Colombia. Over two million wasps of each species were released on a 70-hectare coffee farm in replicated plots, resulting in parasitism rates of up to 7.7% for P. nasuta and 56.3% for P. coffea. This led to a maximum reduction in H. hampei field populations of 81% in dispersal plots (old coffee before stumping plants) and 64.3% in colonization plots (new coffee with actively growing and fruiting plants) within the farm. As a result of this area-wide strategy, the percentage of CBB infested coffee berries in colonization plots decreased by 51.1 to 77.5% compared to coffee plots without parasitoid releases. This approach offers a promising alternative to the use of chemical insecticides and could be integrated into current pest management programs to control H. hampei.