Natural History Wanderings

ScienceDaily reported that Stanford biologists recently documented that coffee growers in Costa Rica can protect their crops from an aggressive pest by creating bird habitat. Coffee plants in Costa Rica are being attacked by borer beetles resulting in 50 to 75 percent less yield.

If the farmers leave patches of land as untouched rainforest it creates bird habitat. The natural habitat attracts five bird species that eat the beetles and decrease the infestations. Researchers found that when the birds were present there were $75 to $310 increases in yield per hectare of farmland.

Learn more at ScienceDaily:  Pest-eating birds mean money for coffee growers.