COFFEE farmers in Nsunga Ward of Missenyi District in Kagera Region have raised a concern following reports that black coffee borer has been spotted and had invaded the area.
Dawson Katakweba (47) and Ahmed Hassan (53) told this newspaper that almost 30 hectares of coffee had been destroyed by the black coffee borer.
“We appeal for swift intervention to control the borer,” they said.
Common names for this beetle include black twig borer, black coffee borer, black coffee twig borer and tea stem borer.
The adult beetle is dark brown or black and inconspicuous; It bores into a twig of a host plant and lays its eggs, and the larvae create further tunnels through the plant tissues.
These beetles are agricultural pests that damage the shoots of such crops as coffee, tea, cocoa and avocado.
This beetle is dark brown or black. The adult female is up to 2 mm (0.08 in) long and about half as wide. The head is convex at the front with an indistinct transverse groove above the mouthparts.
The adult male is a smaller insect, has an unserrated pronotum and no wings. The eggs are smooth, white and ovoid, about 0.5 mm (0.02 in) long.
