EVIDENCE FOR ALLELOCHEMICAL ATTRACTION OF THE COFFEE BERRY BORER, HYPOTHENEMUS-HAMPEI, BY COFFEE BERRIES

Petri dish choice tests conducted on the coffee berry borer (CBB), Hyp othenemus hampei, showed that females were able to discriminate betwee n coffee berries at different ripening stages. A Y-shaped glass olfact ometer was used to demonstrate that coffee berries emitted volatile ch emicals that elicited upwind movement by female CBB. Olfactometer test s with three different solvent extracts of berries showed that at leas t some of the attractive chemical(s) released by the coffee berries co uld be extracted with acetone.