Rearing Coffee Berry Borer, Hypothenemus hampei, and its parasitoid Phymastichus coffea, the Togolese wasp, in natural and artificial diets

Three species of parasitoid wasps Prorops nasuta, Cephalonomia stephanoderis (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae, and Phymastichus coffea (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) were introduced from Africa to the American continent as exotic natural enemies to be used in the classical biological control of the coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei Ferrari. Currently, laboratory colonies of the three species are maintained in rearing conditions in Colombia through cooperative work between the National Coffee Research Center - Cenicafé and an external insect rearing laboratory (Biocafé) and are being used by Cenicafé through a cooperation agreement with USD-APHIS- PPQ, in order to develop and evaluate a regional strategy for the biological control of the coffee berry borer, based on the mass release of Prorops nasuta and Phymastichus coffea as control agents. In this technical bulletin, methodologies and experiences for more than 25 years for the rearing of the coffee berry borer and its parasitoid Phymastichus coffea in natural and artificial diets are presented.