This Presentation from Dr. M. Thippaiah, Professor of Entomology is about insect pests of Coffee and their Management for UG students

1. Insect pests of Coffee and their management
Dr M Thippaiah
Professor
Department of Entomology
University of Agricultural Sciences
GKVK, Bangalore- 65

2. Coffee (Coffea sp.) is one of the most widely traded agricultural
commodities
Coffee production is the backbone of the economy of many developing
countries.
Coffee is King of beverages highly consumed beverage after Tea
Types of Coffee
1. Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica Linnaeous)
2. Robusta coffee (Coffea canephora Pierre) (Rubiaceae).
 Both arabica and robusta coffee are attacked by about one dozen
insect pests, only a few of them are serious, some of them being
specific to one or the other variety.
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

3. Major insect pests of coffee are classified as
Borer pests
White stem borer Xylotrechus quadripes Cerambycidae Coleoptera
Shot hole borer Xylosandrus compactus
Scolytidae Coleoptera
Berry borer Hypothenemus hampei
Red borer Zeuzera coffeae Cossidae Lepidoptera
Sap feeders
Green scale Coccus viridis
Coccidae HemipteraBrown scale Sassetia coffeae
Mealy bugs Planococcus lilacinus
P. citri
Pseudococcidae Hemiptera
The coffee stem borer is the pest of arabica coffee, whereas the
shot hole borer prefers robusta coffee.
 In certain areas the severe attack of white stem borer leads to
discontinuation of the crop.
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

4. Leaf feeders
Hairy caterpillars
Eupterote canarica
Eupterotidae Lepidoptera
Eupterote fabia
Grass hopper Aularches miliaris Acrididae Orthoptera
Subterranean pest
Root grubs Holotrichia conferta Scarabaeidae Coleoptera
Termite Macrotermes spp. Termitidae Isoptera
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

5. Several insect pests have been recorded in Asian countries, only some
of them are economically important on coffee
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

6. Borer pests of Coffee
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

7. White stem borer is the most serious pest of coffee plantation in
throughout the countries
A majority of growers consider the stem borer as a major threat to
arabica coffee.
Distribution : It is reported from India, South Africa, Thailand,
Sri Lanka, China, Brazil & Vietnam
 In India, it is distributed in all the arabica coffee tracts of
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.
 It also reported from Assam and Bengal.
Loss: 2.3 to 12.5% loss in well maintained gardens
17.8 to 20% loss in neglected gardens
It attacks Arabica coffee grown under inadequate shade
White stem borer : Xylotrechus quardripes
( Cerambycidae : Coleoptera)
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

8.  Adults are elongate, blackish-brown longicorn beetle
having several white markings on the elytra and thorax
 Beetles measures about 8mm in length
 Males are generally smaller than females
 Head of male beetle possess distinctly raised
black ridges.
 These ridges are inconspicuous in females.
 Adult emerge in April-May
 Females lay eggs during Oct-Nov.
Adult identifying characters
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

9.  Head of male beetle possess distinctly
raised black ridges
 These black ridges are inconspicuous
in females
Posterior tip of abdomen – rectangular in males
Posterior tip of abdomen – semi circular tip
in female
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

10. Eggs: female beetle eggs are
laid in small groups in cracks
and crevices present on the
loose bark of the main stem,
thick primaries, preferring the
plants exposed to sun light
A single female lays about 100 eggs in
groups of 1 to 10 during a life span of
9 to 30 days
I.P: 9-15 days
Grubs: bores into the bark and tunnels
in all direction with in the stem
feeding on the internal tissues
for about 9 months
Full grown grub is about 2.5 to 3cm long,
white to yellow in color slightly boarder
anteriorly L.P - 9 months
Pupa: pupation takes place
with in a chamber close
to the periphery of the
stem
P.P- 3 to 4 weeks
 Adult remains in the tunnel for 3 to 7 days and
emerge out by cutting an exit hole in the bark
 Exit hole indicates that borer has completed its
life cycle and emerge as an adult
TLC – one year
Coffee white stemborer
Xylotrechus quardripes
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

11. Nature of damage:
 On hatching grubs feeds on corky portion under the bark for
two months
 Later they enter in to hard wood feed on internal tissues and make
tunnels in all direction with in the stem
 The stem and branches are killed as a result of grub tunneling
 Tunnels are filled with excreta
 Galleries in the main stem and primary branches
 Young plants suffer the most and older plants loose their vigour
and the yield gets reduced
 Adult feed on foliage, conifer needles, tender bark of stems and
shoots and pupation chamber close to the bark.
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

12. Symptoms
Yellowing and wilting of leaves
Sawdust like (frass) residues on the ground
Exit holes of adults clearly seen in the
stem
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

13. Ridges develops on the surface of the stem
Affected branches are easily broken off
Infested stem showing borer tunnels
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

14. Susceptibility to diseases and termite damage may increase
Tunneling of stem affecting translocation and development of the plant
Damage is more serious on Arabica coffee with inadequate shade
Young plants ( 7 to 8 years old ) attack by the borer may die in a year
while older plants withstand the attack for a few seasons
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

15. Management practices
 Destruction of affected plant parts during March-April and Sept-Oct
 Maintain optimum shade on the estates build up good shade as the
adult prefer coffee exposed to sunlight for egg laying i.e., shade
regulation
 Scrubbing to remove loose scaly bark of the main stem and thick
primaries using coir glove or coconut husk to get rid of cracks and
crevices, where in eggs are deposited
 Scrubbing is done in October and April helps in destroying the eggs
and grubs in the bark region and also prevents beetle from egg laying
due to smooth surface of the stem
 Deep Scrubbing with any sharp implement may injure the green
wood and eventually kills the plant
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

16.  Scrubbing can be easily done during monsoon period when the
bark is moist, but not to be done during summer period
 Integrate Scrubbing with shade management can effectively
check the incidence of the stem borer
 Avoid highly susceptible variety like Cauvery 1, 2, 3,Hemavathi,
Selection 795 & Sandraman.
 Chandragiri, shows a good yield potential and a high tolerance to the
CWSB
 The grubs are parasitised by Metapelma sp. and Campyloneurus sp.
 Predators – Red ants, Ground beetles, Anthocorid bugs
Birds - Small green barbet - Megalaima viridis
Blue barbet - Megalaima sp.
 Beauveria bassiana was effective when the fungus was applied to
young larvae located under the bark.
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

17.  Spray or swab the main stem and thick primary branches once in
April- May and once or twice in October during flight periods
with lindane 20 EC 1300ml in 200 lit. of water with 200ml wetting
agent
 Chlorpyriphos 20 EC @ 600 ml / 200 lit. of water along with
200 ml of any wetting agent is more effective and less hazardous,
and it is recommended for stem application during the peak emergence
periods of CWSB.
 Spraying the main stem and thick primaries with 5% NSKE gave
good control
However, repeated applications are necessary as the persistence of
neem derivatives is only for a short period.
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

18. Coffee shot hole borer: Xylosandrus compactus
(Scolytidae: Coleoptera)
Sometimes serious pest on robusta coffee and also attack arabica coffee
Adults are dark brown to black coloured beetles, small sub cylindrical
measures about 3 mm in length and body covered with fine hairs
Females are darker and larger ( 1.5 to 1.8mm) whereas males are
dull black in colour and smaller ( 0.8 to 1.0mm)
 Pest infests green succulent main branches / tertiary branches in
young plants
 Female beetle makes a longitudinal tunnel between the nodes
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

19. The beetle then lines of the wall of the gallery with ambrosia fungus, the
spores of which are carried from the tunnel
There are two species of Ambrosia fungi
1.Ambrosiella macrospora 2. Ambrisiella xylebori
have been recoded in India
Eggs : After growing the fungus, female lays 25- 50 eggs, in group of
5 to 8
The beetle make galleries in infested shoots where they lay eggs
I.P - 2-3 days
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

20. The beetle make galleries in infested shoots where they lay eggs
The life cycle completes in 35-40 days
All the life stages of the pest are seen in the same tunnel during the
peak period of incidence
Grubs: are small, milky white in colour, feed on fungus cultivated by
beetles i.e. Ambrosia fungus
L.P – 13-21days
Pupa : Pupation takes place inside the gallery
P.P - 10-11 days
Adults drill shot holes and emerge out
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

21. Nature of damage
 The attacked branches shows discoloration around the pinholes,
drooping of leaves which in turn yellow and fall off and die back
symptoms appears
 Leaves above the point of attack fall of prematurely
 Adult drill a neat circular hole in the tertiary branches resulting
in drying of young shoots, they are encouraged under humid
condition
 Severe infestation results in the loss of productive branches due to
loss of primaries
 The pest thrives better under heavy shaded condition
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

22. Symptoms
In young plants – main stem may be attacked and presence
of shot hole
Initial symptom – drooping and drying of leaves
Withered ( faster in young branches and delayed in older twigs)
or dried branches
Attacked leaves fall of prematurely
Terminal leaves fall and dry up
Severe infestation – loss of considerable number of productive
branches
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

23. Management practices
 Maintain optimum or thin shade and good drainage system
 Pruning of affected branches along with the pest and burn
from September onwards
 The pest prefers to breed in the suckers during dry period. So,
remove and destroy all the unwanted or infested suckers
during summer ( Avoid breeding )
 Spray the crop with contact insecticides i.e., quinalphos @ 2 ml/lit
spray twice at monthly interval during November-December.
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

24. Coffee berry borer : Hypothenemus hampei
(Scolytidae: Coleoptera)
 The berry borer is the most serious pest of coffee all over the world
 It is reported in 58 coffee growing countries
 It is exclusively monophagous, and requires coffee berries for feeding
and breeding
 The pest is native of central Africa, but later got introduced
into coffee growing countries like central America and Asia
 Recently, this pest has been observed in a few plantation in
Gudalur area of Niligris, TN during early 1990
 In 1990, enters karnataka through wayanad district of kerala.
In karnataka first noticed in 1991 in kutta, kodagu district i.e.,
29,700 ha area of coffee are infested by this pest
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

25.  All the cultivated coffee varieties are attacked by this pest
 Under Indian conditions, Robusta coffee suffers badly than Arabica
coffee as the Robusta coffee is harvested early, and pest build up is
more when Robusta coffee ripens
Adult: The adult berry borer is a black coloured beetle with a
sub cylindrical body and covered with thick hairs and morphologically
similar to the shot hole borer on robusta coffee
• The female beetle is 1.5-2 mm long and male 1 mm long
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

26. • Its head is also deflexed under the thorax and its mouth parts occur
closer to the front legs
• The female beetle enter the berry by making a small circular hole,
generally at the tip of the berry i.e. naval region, generally one
beetle enter the berry
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

27. • The attacked berry could be easily identified by the presence
of holes, at the naval region (tip of the berry)
 The adult live for about 5 months
 The female to male ratio is 10:1
 The males are not able to fly
naval region
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

28. Eggs: female beetle prefer to
lay eggs only when the
beans get hardened
Female lays about 20-60 eggs
in the tunnel
Grubs: the apodous
larva with a brownish
head feeds on the
beans making small
galleries of main
tunnel bored
by the adult
L.P – 19-20days
I.P- 5-9 days
Pupa : Pupation
takes place
in the berries
PP – 7-8 days
Total life cycle: 25-35 days
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

29. Nature and symptoms of damage
 The pest damages to young as well as ripe berries
 The beetle does not breed in tender berries
 Generally most of the affected berries fall due to the injury /
secondary infection by fungi
 Breeding occurs in developed berries from the time when the
endosperm first become hard, up to the time the berries ripe
either in the tree or on the ground
 In case of severe infestation, 30-80 % of the berries are damaged
resulting in heavy crop loss
 The infested berries can be easily identified by the presence of small
round hole at tip of the berries
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

30. Generally one and some times two or three beetle in the naval region
 Generally one and some times two or three beetles in the naval region
 All the cultivated coffee varieties are susceptible to the attack of this
pest.
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

31. Symptoms
A typical pin hole at tip of the
berries indicates the presence
of the pest
Severe infestation - two or more
holes are seen, either in the
naval region or on the sides
A powdery substance pushed
out through the holes, reveals
the active tunneling and
feeding with in the beans
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

32. Minute tunnels, often with a
bluish colour are seen in the
infested portion
Fruit drop of young and green berries
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

33. Some of the conditions are favourable for multiplication of the pest
 Incidence will be more at lower altitudes and less at higher altitudes
i.e. altitude range from 500 to 1000 M above sea level
 Heavy shaded plantations are more prone to attack than dry
open areas
 Chemical stimuli from developing berries and Heavy rainfall are
believed to tigger the emergence of beetles
 Temp.- 26 - 300c
 R.H- 90-95%
The pest comes out and infests fresh berries in the evening hours
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

34. Management practices:
Follow the IPM practices for control of coffee berry borer
1.Cultural control:
 Remove excess shade from the garden i.e., Maintain optimum shade
and good drainage
 To maintain optimum relative humidity in the garden i.e., high relative
humidity favours pest attack
 Gleaning – spreading gunny bags or polythene sheets on
the ground after picking the berries
 Remove lantana plant from the field. i.e. female take shelter in the
seeds of lantana
 Remove the unseasonal berries.
2.Mechanical control:
 Pick out all mature berries at time of harvesting with out leaving berries
on the plant.
 Collect the fallen berries thoroughly leaving none of on the ground
to prevent multiplication of the pest.
 Do not move stock from infested area to non infested area.
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

35. Attractant trap
 Install multiple funnel trap and pitfall trap to collect and kill the adults
Multiple funnel trap Pitfall trap
 Set up Attractant traps with ethyl : methyl alcohol (1:1) to
attract and kill the adults.
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

36. 3. Biological control:
 Release the Bethylid ectoparasitoids-
Prorops nasuta,
Cephalonomia stephanodarix
Braconid larval parasite- Heteropsilla coffecola
 Use fungal pathogen- Beauveria bassiana @ 1kg/ha kills the
borers when the humidity is high.
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

37.  Predator- crematogaster curvispinosa is prdacious on
coffee berry borer.
Take simultaneous plant protection in all plantations.
4. Chemical control:
Need based application of chlorpyriphos 20 EC 0.05% at 120-150 days
after flowering
Time of application:
first spray may be given during May- June and second spray during
middle of monsoon.
If it is necessary 2 to 3 sprays may be given at monthly intervals
before harvesting to protect developing berries.
Follow post harvest precautions and seed quarantine to check the
spread by cross infestation Dr. M. Thipaaiah

38. In storage places:
• Pest could be effectively controlled by fumigation with durofume
@ 32gm/cu.mt area for 48 hours
• Fumigate all gunny bags both at estate level and at curing level
before filling them with berries.
• The beetle cannot survive in berries that are dry enough.
So dry the berries to the prescribed moisture level while processing
at the estate level.
 Arabica/robusta parchment- 10%
 Arabica cherry- 10.5%
 Robusta cherry- 11.05%
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

39. Coffee red borer: Zeuzera coffeae
(Cossidae: Lepidoptera)
The caterpillar is a stem borer with wide distribution and is a minor
pest of Arabica and Robusta coffee
Adult is a orange-red coloured medium sized moth with white
coloured fore wings and many black spots and marginal dots on
the hind wings and measures about 28-40 mm across the wings
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

40. Life cycle of the pest
Eggs: are laid in rows on the barks of the stem and branches
I.P- 9-10 days
Larva: becomes fully grown in 4-5 months measuring a length
of 38 mm with reddish coloured body and brown coloured
head hence the name red borer
 Larva bores into the bark.
They make tunnels down entering the
main stem and reaching up to the taproot
in young plants
Pupa : Pupation takes place within the tunnel
P.P- 3-4 weeks
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

41. Nature of damage
 Larva causes damage by boring the stem or branches to feed on wood
 The attacked plants show pinkish excreta emerging out of holes at
various interval on the stem
 Affected branches wither and die back symptoms occurs externally
 Young plants when attacked, killed out rightly
 Life cycle is completed in about 4-5 months and the pest survive
under heavy shade
Management practices:
 Removal and destruction of the affected branches
 Regulate the shade by pruning the branches
 Encourage the activity of braconid parasitoid- Amyosoma zeuzerae.
 Use of fungal pathgen, Beauveria bassiana @ 1kg/ha.
 Spray the crop with malathion 50 EC @ 2ml / lit
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

42. Sap feeder pests of Coffee
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

43. I. Coffee green scale: Coccus viridis
(Coccidae: Hemiptera)
 It is a regular pest of arabica and robusta coffee.
 It occurs virtually in all countries where coffee is grown.
 It is found on coffee from low lying coastal areas up to
1200 meters MSL
The pest occurs on a number of host plants
other than coffee such as cassava, citrus, guava,
mango, tea, fig and rubber
 The bugs are sedentary and found in large
number, sticking on lower surfaces of leaves
 They are flat green to yellowish green oval
slightly convex measuring about 3 mm long
 Males are free living with one pairs of wings
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

44. Green scales on coffee fruits and leaves
 Green scale is a summer pest, proliferating during hot dry weather
Reproduction is by parthenogenesis, The female may lay 500-600 eggs,
which are deposited under the body
The eggs hatch with in a few hours into ‘crawlers’
Nymphs : are pale yellow in colour
 They passes through 3 instars before becoming an adult female
 It takes 1-3 months to complete the life cycle
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

45. Nature of damage
Nymphs and adults females suck the sap from the green shoots
and leaves and occasionally on spikes and green berries, thus the
reducing the vigour of the plant
The severe infestation results in death of the plant
The infested leaves may curl up and tender twigs droop down
Sooty mould appear on the affected plants due to honey dew,
which affect the photosynthetic activity of the plant
Infested plants are associated with ants which help in spreading
the pest
The damage is mainly to coffee bushes under five years of age
and most severe in drought or during summer months
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

46. Management practices:
 To control of ants by dusting Malathion 5%dust
 Destroy ant nests near the garden
 Scales are parasitised by Coccophagus spp.
and predated upon by Cheilomenes sexmaculata
and Chilocoris nigritus
 Release the coccinelid predator, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri
@ 3000 beetles/acre
 Spray the crop with systemic insecticides:
monocrotophos 36 SL @ 2 ml/lit
or
dimethoate 30 EC @ 2 ml/lit
or
quinolphos 25 EC @ 2 ml/lit
 Use fungal pathogen: Verticillium lecanii
 Remove and burn the weeds which harbour the scale insects
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

47. II.Brown scale: Saissetia coffeae
(Coccidae: Hemiptera)
Adult male is winged. Female is sedentary
Nature of damage
 Nymphs and adults suck sap from undersurface of the leaves
 Honey dew excrete – development of sooty mould fungus
 Vegetatively propagated clones are susceptible.
Management practices
Spray any of the following insecticides viz., quinalphos 25 EC or
chlorpyriphos 20 EC 1000 ml/ha or ethion 50 EC 500 ml or profenofos 50 EC
800-1000 ml with 500 lit. water/ha
Adult female is hemispherical in shape
body is covered by a brown hard shield
Nymphs are yellow, greenish brown or
dark pink, flat and oval in shape
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

48. III. Mealy bugs: Planococcus lilacinus, P. citri
(Pseudococcidae: Hemiptera)
 These mealy bugs are major pest of arabica coffee in Coorg
 It infests roots and some parts of the aerial shoots
 These are small, soft bodied insects, adult females are wingless,
oval shaped body is clothed with mealy secretion in the form of
small, white threads
 Males are rare, smaller and winged Dr. M. Thipaaiah

49. Reproduction is mainly through parthenogenesis
Female lay 100 to 1000 eggs
I.P – 2-3 days
Nymphs : The first instar nymphs crawl away, settle in a place
for feeding and secrete the mealy covering over the body
Nymphs pass through three instars
The life cycle completed in a month
 Nymphs and adults from the root zone migrate to aerial parts, settle
down, feed and reproduce
 Infestation becomes severe in summer
 Intermittent showers and irrigation helps in the build up of the pest
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

50. Nature of damage
 Both nymphs and adults suck the sap from tender branches, nodes,
leaves, spikes, berries and roots in large numbers
 Flower buds and berries becomes small if severely infested
 If suck the sap from roots as result spongy tissues develop on the
roots
 The leaves become chlorotic and fall down.
 Spikes are suppressed and the fruits drop off
 A black fungus ( sooty mould, Capnodium sp.) develops on the
honey dew excreted by the bugs
Consequently, the leaves of infested plants become black, affecting
photosynthesis
 Among the cultivated varieties of coffee, Robusta and Cauvery
suffers worst from mealy bug attack Dr. M. Thipaaiah

51. Management practices:
 To control the ants, by dusting quinalphos 1.5% D
or
malathion 5% D
around the base of coffee and shade trees.
 Spray the affected patches with quinalphos @ 750ml
or
fenthion @ 375ml
or
fenitrothion @ 750ml in 500 lit. of water
 If the roots are infested, drench the soil near the root zone with any
one of the above insecticides at the same dosage.
 In young plants (2-4 years old), drench with dimethoate 30 EC @
3ml/lit to control both root and shoot mealy bugs.
 Release two introduced natural enemies i.e.,
Cryptolaemus montrouzieri (predator)
Leptomastrix dactylopii (parasitoid)
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

52. Leaf feeder pests of coffee
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

53. I. Hairy caterpillars: Eupterote canarica
E. fabia
(Eupterotidae: Lepidoptera)
Hairy caterpillars are important pests of arabica coffee in Karnataka
Eupterote canarica: adult is a brownish yellow moth with 2 diagonal
bands and zigzag lines on the wings.
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

54. Males is slightly smaller than females with bipectinate antennae
and tapering abdomen.
Female has filiform antennae and broader with blunt abdomen
E. fabia: adult is a large bright yellow moth with prominent black
wavy lines and patches on wings.
Moths emerge in the month of June or July
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

55. Life cycle of the pest
Eggs : are laid in clusters of 100-150 on the under side of the leaves
of shade trees.
I.P- 15-20 days
Larva: full grown caterpillar densily hairy dark brown in colour
with red coloured head measuring about 6cm in length.
They passes 7 larval instars
L.P – 150-180 days
Pupa: it pupates in loose soil under mulch for 7-8 months
The adult life lasts for 30 days.
There is only one generation in a year.
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

56. Nature of damage:
 Caterpillar start feeding on leaves 1 or 2 days after hatching.
 They are gregarious and migrate from branch to branch, moving
closely one behind the other.
 They drop down on silken thread from shade trees to coffee
during September to October feed on the leaves.
 At the end of their larval period the larva congregate at the base
of the trees (December - Jan) become sluggish entering the
pupal stage.
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

57. Management practices:
 Collection and destruction of immature stages that congregate
at the base of shade trees
 Collect and burn the pupae from January to May
 Install light traps in June or July for collecting and killing adults
 Spray quinalphos 25EC @ 800 ml
or
methyl parathion 50 EC @ 400 ml
or
fenitrothion 50 EC @ 600 ml / ha with 100 ml wetting
agent in 200 lit. of water
 Use of malathion 5%D
or
quinalphos 1.5 % D @ 25 kg / ha from Sept. to DecemberDr. M. Thipaaiah

58. II. Grass hopper: Aularches miliaris
(Acarididae: Orthoptera)
A green and yellow spotted polyphagous grass hopper appears
sporadically in swarms
Adults and nymphs feed on leaves and defoliate the plant.
( minor pest of coffee)
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

59. Subterranean pests
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

60. Cockchafer or Root grubs: Holotrichia conferta
(Scarabaeidae: Coleoptera)
Adults are reddish brown beetles
It is found in South India
 Cockchafer are some times serious pests in new clearing and
replanted areas
 The pest is active during South – West Monsoon period i.e. from
July – September and even up to November
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

61. Nature of damage
Grown up coffee plants normally with stand the attack
Young plants ( 1-5years old) attacked by white grubs show yellowing
of leaves and stunted growth
Such plants wilt and die in summer periods
Attacked plants can be easily pulled out as they are left with only
tap roots
Grubs damages the roots by their feeding, seedlings suffer the most
The adults feed on leaves of crop plants or forest trees and attracted to
light
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

62. Control measures
 Drench the soil around the root zone of affected plants with lindane
20EC @ 750 ml in 200 lit. of water
 In white grub infested areas, incorporate phorate 10 G @ 5 gm
or
carbofuran 3 G @ 10 gm in to the soil in a pit at the time of planting
 Collect and kill the grubs by digging
 Install light traps after summer showers during March – June and
killed trapped adults
Dr. M. Thipaaiah

63. Termite : Macrotermes spp.,
( Termitidae : Isoptera)
 Termite feed on the roots and bark region of
seedlings and plants results in wilting of
central shoot
• Mat of soil/nest of termites observed on
infested portion
Control measures
 Planting coffee in cleaned ground where all tree
parts, including roots have been removed.
 Termites cannot survive as there is no dead wood on which to feed
 Effective pruning of dead wood on coffee trees.
 Remove all dead wood from the coffee plantation
 Permetrin 60 to 80 gm /lit. sprayed on the ground and on base of
coffee trees after planting will control the termites Dr. M. Thipaaiah