HONOLULU (AP) – The Hawaii Department of Agriculture has confirmed detection of a Coffee Berry Borer infestation at a Big Island farm.
The department said Wednesday in a news release that surveys are being conducted in the Kau coffee-growing area to determine the extent of the infestation.
The small beetle native to Central Africa is a major threat to coffee bean crops and the pests were first confirmed on farms in the Kona area in September.
This is the first detection of infestation on a Kau farm.
Officials have been trying to control the Kona infestations with insect-killing fungus and field sanitation practices.
Coffee growers in Kau are asked to inspect their fields and report possible infestation to agriculture officials.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
See the original article at: KHON2 Developing Stories
