How coffee berry borers survive on caffeine
Wednesday, December 9, 2015 - 07:03
in Mathematics & Economics
The world's most devastating coffee pest can cut yields by up to 80 percent, and it survives on what would be a toxic dose of caffeine for any other insect. Some 850 insects can feed on different parts of a coffee plant, but only the coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei) feeds on the bean itself—and feeds exclusively on it.