Coffee Part 3

The coffee cherry opened, inside lies two identical beans, usually.  Here are some beans that have been destroyed by coffee borer beetles.  The beans should be a light yellow color all the way through.  The dark spots are waste form the borer beetle.  The beetle bores in through the cherry at the scar from the flower and burrow into one or both of the beans.  The female is the only beetle that bores into the beans.  Inside the bean the female lays eggs, the larvae eat the coffee bean and mate within the bean.  Only pregnant females leave the coffee cherry, to start the cycle again. 

Many farmers continue to process there beans as normal and grind up the leftover beans.  This is having a negative effect on the overall health of the coffee industry in Kona.  The taste is different as the left over bean may not ever have been fully matured, as well as most beans are not cleared of waste left by beetles.  There is less coffee being produced due to the beetles eating about 1/3 of the beans.