Coffee Berry Borer Quarantine Expands to Maui

Coffee berry borer. Photo: L. Shyamal – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26093714

The coffee berry borer first detected in the state in September 2010 in Kona, discovered in Ka‘ū in May 2011 and on O‘ahu in December 2014, has now spread to Maui.

It was found on the Valley Isle in Hāna and Kipahulu in December 2016.

The Hawai‘i Board of Agriculture expanded the coffee berry borer (CBB) quarantine to the island of Maui on March 14, effective May 1, 2017.

The quarantine, which has been in effect on Hawai‘i Island and O‘ahu, restricts the interisland movement of coffee and other CBB hosts, and requires treatment and other quarantine protocols.

Although the recent detections of CBB on Maui were located in only two locations, the board decided that an islandwide quarantine was necessary to prevent the further spread of CBB in the state.

So far, CBB has not been detected on Kaua‘i, Moloka‘i and Lāna‘i.

CBB is one of the most devastating of coffee pests.

This small beetle bores into the coffee “cherry” to lay its eggs. The larvae feed on the coffee bean, reducing the yield and quality of the bean. Since its detection in Kona, coffee growers have developed methods to manage the pest, which

Since its detection in Kona, coffee growers have developed methods to manage the pest, which include using an organic pesticide and field sanitation. Some farms with good management practices have been able to keep infestations down to about 20% of the coffee crop.

CBB is native to Central Africa and is also found in many coffee-growing regions of the world, including Central and South America. It is still unknown how CBB made its way to Hawai‘i Island, O‘ahu and Maui.

Hawai‘i has strict importation rules that require fumigation of all imported green coffee beans to rid the beans of pathogens and insect pests. Coffee plants and plant parts are also restricted from being imported to Hawai‘i under plant quarantine rules.

In addition, HDOA issued a quarantine order that requires a permit from HDOA to transport unroasted coffee beans, coffee plants and plant parts, used coffee bags and coffee harvesting equipment from Hawai‘i Island to other islands that are not infested with the coffee berry borer.

The rules also require certain treatments and inspection by HDOA Plant Quarantine inspectors prior to shipping. Inspectors will either attach a tag, label or stamp to indicate the shipment passed inspection requirements. For unroasted coffee beans, acceptable treatment protocols include fumigation, freezing and heat treatment.

Download the Notice of Designation of Island of Maui as Expanded Coffee Berry Borer Infested Area Subject to Quarantine.

For more information on CBB in Hawai‘i, go to the HDOA  CBB web page and the UH-CTAHR web page.