Recently, coffee farmers in Lâm Đồng Province have been alarmed by the appearance of an unfamiliar caterpillar that feeds on coffee leaves and damages the trees.
On June 16, the provincial Plant Protection Sub-Department reported that, according to the Plant Protection Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the “strange” pest has been identified as Cephonodes hylas (Linnaeus), a member of the order Lepidoptera, family Sphingidae. This species has been recorded in countries such as India, Malaysia, China, and Sri Lanka and was also found on coffee in Gia Lai Province a few months earlier.
Based on field studies in both Lâm Đồng and Gia Lai, the Plant Protection Department has recommended control measures:
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Low infestation areas – When pest density is low, farmers can manually remove and destroy larvae, collect pupae from the soil surface, and prune leaves carrying adult insects, combined with thorough orchard sanitation.
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High infestation areas – Where the density exceeds 30 insects per tree, farmers should spray recommended insecticides such as FM-Tox 50EC, Sherpa 25EC, Cymkill, Carbaryl, or Nurelle at the advised rates.
The Lâm Đồng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, along with local agricultural centers, is expanding surveys to forecast outbreaks and implement timely control measures to prevent this newly identified pest from spreading across the province’s coffee plantations.