Ants Could Help Combat the Coffee Borer Beetle Scourge

The coffee borer beetle is a huge problem for coffee production worldwide. Native to Africa, the coffee borer beetle has since spread to all major coffee-producing regions, and is estimated to destroy almost 30 percent of all coffee cherries. That represents around a $500 million loss for coffee farmers. However, according to a new study published in the journal The Scientific Naturalist, the beetle’s natural enemy could potentially offer a way for farmers to combat the coffee borer.

The author, Jonathan Morris, was studying the coffee borer beetle on a coffee farm in Chiapas, Mexico. There, he observed the behavior of several species of ant that prey on the coffee borer beetle. Interestingly, Morris reported that all seven species of ant were both hunting the beetles as well as making their homes inside the coffee borer tunnels. Furthermore, Morris reported in his study that at least two of the species of ant are known to reduce coffee borer populations.

Speaking to SciTech Daily, Morris said, “In terms of pest control, this is primarily a good thing because it’s benefiting the ants in terms of their populations and fitness. The ants gain this reproductive benefit that’s originally created by the coffee pest. And this might actually help to maintain more diverse ant communities directly on the coffee plants.”

Traditionally, coffee borer populations have been almost impossible to control. The beetles tunnel deep into the center of a coffee cherry before reproducing. And as their offspring are maturing, they feed on the coffee seed – the part of the cherry that develops into the bean. However, when ants take over the borer chambers, they are living close to where new beetle infestations might emerge. This could potentially help manage coffee borer beetle populations.

While the study doesn’t identify how effective the ant behavior might reduce damage to crops, it offers valuable insight into how current techniques for managing borer infestations might be improved upon. In short, a natural mitigation strategy such as introducing ant populations to coffee plantations could be more effective than using chemical pesticides. Furthermore, this would reduce the danger of eliminating natural pollinators.