HANDLING OF WEEDS (Undergrowth)

The borer beetle is a black weevil; it has the size of the head of a pin. It is very harmful because when it attacks, it bores in and damages the beans, to feed on the coffee almonds. It is a pest that begins its attack on the green fruits of coffee, between 3 and 4 months after flowering, producing losses, as the weight of production decreases, the quality of the grain deteriorates, which lowers the sales price and increases production costs for control actions that must be in advance.

Insects located on the neck of the stem or on the root of the coffee trees and feed on the sap, causing their general weakening. There are several species: Dysmicoccus spp, Neochavesia caldasiae, Puto barberi and Toumeyella coffeae.

The symptoms of this pest show yellowing, necrosis and leaf fall. During the harvest premature falls of the fruits also occur and often the death of plants is observed, both in growth and production.

Los síntomas de esta plaga presentan amarillamiento, necrosis y caída de hojas.  Durante la cosecha, también se presentan caídas prematuras de los frutos y con frecuencia se observa la muerte de plantas, tanto en crecimiento como en producción.  

With the increase in temperatures and the absence of rain, these two pests are favored which can be dispersed by the wind between coffee plantations and farms, walking in the same tree.

The red spider is an almost imperceptible mite, located at the top and the bottom of the coffee leaves, it manifests itself presenting a tan in the leaf bundle, since the plant is fed by sucking the infected sap.

The coffee leaf miner is a very harmful pest that mainly affects the photosynthetic area and cause defoliation of trees. It’s a monophagous species because it only attacks the genus Coffea and in Colombia is under natural control, so it is recommended to manage a biological control, increasing the population of natural enemies that prevent this insect from becoming a coffee pest.

This disease causes serious damage in coffee production. The coffee trees affected by the pink disease bulges out, because the terminal parts of the branch appear with yellowish, withered or dry foliage.

It commonly occurs in coffee plantations with poor conditions of luminosity and aeration, favoring the development of the pathogen on dry stems and litter that accumulate in the upper part of the trees.

It’s the main disease of coffee cultivation, causing losses about 23% and 50% of production in the quantity and quality of production in susceptible varieties, which don’t have an appropriate and adequate management of the disease. It is distinguished by the presence of a yellow powder on the underside of the diseased leaves, causing their fall and restricting the process of photosynthesis in the plant.

It is the most harmful pest that has affected coffee cultivation throughout its history. Since September 1988, it was registered in the country and has caused great losses in all coffee provinces; even marginalized the cultivation in the lowlands. It directly attacks coffee fruits, which means, it mainly affects production and quality.

The insect is difficult to handle with traditional control methods such as insecticides, because it remains protected most of its life inside the fruits.

The borer beetle is a black weevil; it has the size of the head of a pin. It is very harmful because when it attacks, it bores in and damages the beans, to feed on the coffee almonds. It is a pest that begins its attack on the green fruits of coffee, between 3 and 4 months after flowering.

For its control there are different methods, of which the most used is known as integrated borer beetle handling. This consists of a cultural control, which includes the management in the post-harvest process (beneficio), the timely harvesting of the fruits at the time of their maturation and the biological control with the use of wasps and fungi. The wasps are bred and then released to be established in the coffee plantations looking for the borer beetle within the fruits, part of the borer beetle population is eaten. The fungus is a white mold that is sprinkled in the coffee crop killing part of the population of the borer beetle. This method has allowed the country to maintain low levels of infestation in its coffee crops and fulfill its export commitments in terms of production and quality.

The borer beetle expands to other plantations in several ways: in the attacked seeds and fruits; when men take them from one place to another; in the clothes, hats or footwear of people who pass through the crops; in tools and equipment, such as machetes, yute bags and baskets; in vehicles; and in the water used during the coffee washing process, etc.