Population behavior and control strategies for the Coffee Berry Borer during harvest pass retention Comportamiento poblacional y estrategias de control de la broca durante la retención de pases de cosecha

Harvest pass retention for 35 days, in order to assist harvesting with tarpaulins, is a practice to increase the availability of ripe coffee cherries during harvesting. However, it also increases the risk of infestation by the coffee cherry borer (Hypothenemus hampei) infestation, as the ripe cherries remain exposed for a longer period. To identify the sources of CBB infestation during pass retention and to develop control strategies, the source of borer infestation in the cherries on the tree was identified, and the effect of this practice on cherry drop and control strategies for the borer during cherry retention were evaluated. The results revealed that during the 35-day pass retention, borers that penetrate ripe cherries originate from infested cherries left on the tree and on the ground after harvests. Additionally, it was determined that during this period, cherry drop increased from 12 to 41 cherries per tree. Finally, it was demonstrated that collecting fallen cherries from the ground at the beginning of retention and subsequently applying the fungus Beauveria bassiana to cherries on the trees and the ground 10 days later demonstrated success in reducing borer infestations to less than 5.0%. Without any control, the infestation rate can exceed 15% and reach up to 33%.