The coffee berry borer (CBB), Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera:Curculionidae: Scolytinae), native to Africa is an important pest worldwide, first detected in Puerto Rico in 2007. The CBB infestation ranges vary from 0 to 90%, and the release of parasitoids has the potential to control it in the coffee island agrosystems. The production of parasitoids using an artificial diet has successfully increased the number needed for releases on field coffee. The objective of this study was to establish an effective rearing method for Phymastichus coffea (Hymenoptera:Eulophidae) and Cephalonomia stephanoderis (Hymenoptera:Bethiylidae) parasitoids of CBB under laboratory quarantine conditions. Following methodologies for massive production and management of CBB parasitoids, we established the colonies with the host on an artificial diet. The C. stephanoderis individuals were obtained from Puerto Rico field collections and P. coffea from Cenicafe-Colombia. For C. stephanoderis, 50 larvae and pupae of CBB were placed in a Petri dish, and 15 female wasps were left to allow oviposition. After four days, wasps were removed, and 50 new larvae and pupae of CBB were added. An F1 generation emerged after 20 days. For P. coffea, individuals of CBB adults were placed with female wasps in a proportion of 1:10 (wasps: CBB adults) in a Petri dish. After 5 hours, CBB adults were placed on a diet to allowed them feed and development. Thirty days after, new wasps emerged. Artificial diets are a suitable alternative to establishing CBB parasitoid colonies, allowing us to minimize contamination and not be dependent on availability of coffee parchment.
