Abstract
The plant factors that contribute to the abundance of beetles in coffee fields were studied and analysed relative to shoot and canopy features of the host plant. During infestation Dirphya nigricornis Olivier constructed niches within specific heights (145.0–210.0 cm) of the canopies such that there was a highly significant (r =0.99, P =0.001) availability of adequate habitat for larval development. The adaptation of the pest to the host plant was good, irrespective of varieties and culture systems of the coffee plant. It was concluded that the alignment of eggs to tip internodes synchronised the newly hatched larvae with the coffee tissues, usually between 0.5 to 30 cm off the shoots, of extremely low dry matter, and high moisture content, such factors favouring early larval development.
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