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Coffee beans: sex haven for tiny beetles

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IANS London

According to researchers from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, tiny beetles, which are native to Africa, indulge in carnal activity in coffee beans.

"Kinky sex takes place in many coffee beans before they are roasted," Discovery News reported.

The insects are known as coffee berry borers (Hypothenemus hampei) - the most serious pests of coffee plants worldwide.

Also known as "Ferrari", these insects find their way into coffee beans "after sniffing out chemicals released by coffee plants".

Females are about .07 inches long while males are only about .06 inches long.

Because the males are smaller, they are termed as "dwarves".

 

When females are not reproducing through parthenogenesis (asexual reproduction), they "copulated with their sibling males before leaving the native coffee fruit to improve their chances of successful colonisation," study co-author Weliton Dias Silva was quoted as saying.

While females leave the beans after 15 days, males stay and even find their way to your home.

The paper appeared in the Journal of Insect Behavior.

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First Published: Dec 22 2014 | 2:14 PM IST

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