Western Balsam Bark Beetle vs Coffee Berry Borer

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Western Balsam Bark Beetle Coffee Berry Borer
Scientific Name Dryocoetes confusus Hypothenemus hampei
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Curculionidae (Scolytinae) Curculionidae
Size 3.2–4.5 mm 1.5-2 mm
Habitat Mountains Farmland
Diet Wood Feeders Omnivores
Regions Western North America Central Africa (native), Pantropical (invasive)
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Western Balsam Bark Beetle

A bark beetle that primarily attacks subalpine fir in western North America. It often colonizes trees already weakened by root disease.

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Did You Know?

It produces a pheromone called exo-brevicomin that attracts other beetles to mass-attack weakened trees.

Coffee Berry Borer

A tiny, dark brown beetle that bores into coffee berries and is the most damaging pest of coffee worldwide. Females tunnel into the berry and lay eggs inside.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the few animals that can detoxify caffeine, thanks to gut bacteria that break down the alkaloid.