FEW PESTS wreak more havoc on coffee plantations than the berry-borer beetle. In Brazil alone its depredations are reckoned to cost $300m a year, so keeping the insects under control is a priority for plantation owners around the world. That is easier said than done. Berry borers spend most of their lives inside the berries. Their eggs hatch there. Their larvae feed, grow and pupate there. And their adults mate there. Only pregnant females seeking another berry to lay their eggs actually see the light of day. This makes attacking the beetles with insecticides tricky.
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