Improved Borer Beetle Trap Could Aid Coffee Farmers
From: taipeitimes.com
An improved coffee borer beetle trap developed by the Council of Agriculture Tea Research and Extension Station could aid coffee growers in Nantou County’s Guosing Township (國姓).
The township is the largest coffee bean production area in the nation, with more than 200 hectares under cultivation.
Climate change has fueled northward migration of the beetles, which had previously remained largely in southern Taiwan, and the change is cutting into township residents’ profit margins.
More than 30 percent of coffee plants in the township are affected, the station said on Tuesday.
Fruit and raw beans eaten by the beetles create not only a net loss, but incur additional expenses as extra workers are needed clear the infected plants, the station said.
