Araecerus fasciculatus can reach a length of about 3–5 millimeters. These small weevils are dome shaped, with dark-brown, and mottled with light and dark- drown pubescence. They are robust and good fliers. The antennar are slender with the 3 terminal segments of the antennae being longer and forming a club at the end.
Life cycle and behavior Araecerus fasciculatus worldwide pest of main stored commodities, but in various scientific publications it been documented consuming living plants in their natural habitats. This list includes, coffee fruit and citrus fruit. The larvae dig tunnels into the seeds, pupate inside them, and adults emerge, boring a hole. Adult males become sexually mature 3 days after emerging, while adult females become sexually mature after 6 days. Female beetles can oviposit up to six eggs in to the coffee berries, however it is rare that more than one will enclose. The larvae feed on the pulp or mucilage and will move on to consume the seed of the coffee bean. In Brazil small numbers of the beetles can be found on coffee plantations and there is only a reported 4.2% infestation when found in the field.
Management strategy Classified as an agricultural and food pest of stored crops. They are problematical under high humidity storage conditions, the best way to manage for coffee bean weevils in storage warehouses is by maintaining an optimum temperature with a low relative humidity and moisture content.
Fumigation is the most widely used method. Studies have shown that
sulfuryl fluoride, a popular
insecticide fumigant used most often on drywood
termites and
bed bugs, is an effective control agent on all life stages of
A. fasciculatus including the coffee bean weevil eggs which are the most tolerant of fumigants. Another fumigate widely used is
phosphine. Coffee bean weevils may produce an aggregation pheromone similar to other beetles. The male produced compound,
squalene, is an attractant to male and female coffee bean weevils. Aggregation pheromones are useful tools to insects as they increase the likelihood of finding a mate as well has the insects ability to find food. Pheromone based traps are a possible environmentally-friendly approach to elimating the use of harsh fumigates in food warehouses when managing for coffee bean weevils.
Economic threshold No economic thresholds are established for
A. fasciculatus in coffee or cocoa but, due to their high value, low tolerance is expected. ==References==