Effect of relative humidity on developmental time and survival of hypothenemus hampei on a cenibroca artificial diet. Efecto de la humedad relativa sobre la duración y sobrevivencia de Hypothenemus hampei en dieta artificial Cenibroca.

The coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari, 1867) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is one of the main insect pests of coffee crops worldwide. Its biological features and behavior are affected by temperature and food availability, but there is little information about the effect of humidity. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of relative air humidity on duration and survival of the CBB immature stages. The results showed that different evaluated hygrometric conditions did not affect the duration of each of the CBB biological stages, but they negatively impacted the survival of the eggs and larvae. The highest mortality rates occurred at humidities of 30% and 90%. These results are useful to adjust cultural control strategies within the IPM approach in order to reduce the impact of coffee fruits that have dropped to the ground and to keep the insect populations below economic damage levels.