Coffee Berry Borer Trap Successful

The coffee berry borer trap BROCAP, which was introduced to farmers in 2003, to assist with the management of the pest, has been doing very well according to Gusland McCook, Regional Advisory Officer for the Eastern Region of the Coffee Industry Board (CIB).
In a JIS news interview today (July 17), Mr. McCook said “we have seen one year where the trap reduced the borer population from one million to about 300,000.”
Despite this decrease he said the trap is not the end of the berry borers as they reproduce and a combination of methods should be applied to ensure the management of these pests.
This he said include “proper harvesting, stripping or removal of residual berries from the field after reaping, and then the implementation of the trap.”
“The trap on its own will not reduce the borer population to levels that we would like it to be,” he informed, urging farmers to follow the methods along with the use of the trap, to control the borer.
The Regional Advisory Officer is imploring farmers to, after commercial reaping; remove whatever residual berries are left on the trees so as to avoid the potential of the borer surviving until the next crop.
He stated that “the borer survives and reproduces only in the coffee fruits,” and once there are no fruits, their survival will be lowered. Additionally, he advised farmers to do an infestation check and then apply a chemical as is necessary.
When the BROCAP trap was introduced in 2003, it was sold for $270 and has now been increased to about $300. He stated that farmers have been satisfied with the price as a significant number of them have bought traps. “Farmers have seen success as once they set up the traps they can see borers falling in it,” he said. Mr. McCook stated that he is comfortable with the effectiveness of the trap but urged farmers to do more in order to see the full effect of it. In light of this, he said each year training is conducted to sensitize farmers about the danger of the borer and possible actions they can take.
The BROCAP trap, developed in El Salvador for the management of the coffee berry borer was introduced to coffee farmers by the CIB.