Usually, the female drills the berry through the central disc, although it can enter through the side walls if the fruit is dry.

[citation needed] The insect is very sensitive to desiccation, and waits for the rains to leave the fruit.

The insect is endemic to central Africa and has now spread to most coffee-producing countries through the accidental introduction of contaminated seeds.

The presence of the insect affects the economy of over 20 million families that depend on the coffee harvest.

Due to the losses in yield and quality caused by the insect, growers end up losing significant amounts of income.

Biological control methods use the natural enemies of the coffee berry borer to reduce the population.

Pest management through biological control can utilize predators, parasitoids and fungal entomopathogens that attack the immature or adult beetles.

During the time when beetle offspring emerge from each commercially ruined berry to disperse, they are vulnerable to predation.

Although they have a low impact in the beetle population, the use of biological controls allows the product to qualify as organic food.

Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) have been reported as predators of H. hampei but they do not control the insect[citation needed].