And since Honolulu’s international airport is located just across a highway from the golf course, they might have reached Hawaii via civilian aircraft. Oishi said there’s no evidence they stowed away aboard a military ship or plane. The source of the infestation on Oahu is unclear so far. Other alternatives under consideration include possibly releasing a fungus or a virus known to attack the insect in its native habitat in tropical Asia, Oishi said. About 500 pheromone-baited traps have been deployed within a one-mile radius of the site authorities have urged the public to look out for the beetle and clear away any debris that might make for a beetle’s love nest. The first specimens in Hawaii turned up on a golf course on the military’s Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, outside Honolulu, in December. “This beetle is really tough, and most of the pesticides that are legal for use in Hawaii do not work on it,” said Darcy Oishi, the state Agriculture Department official in charge of containing the beetle. Adults can grow up to two inches long and live to the ripe old age of three months. Then it crawls off to breed, preferably in piles of mulch or trash. Pacific territory of Guam.īig, hungry and hard to kill, the coconut rhino beetle bores into the tops of coconut palms, eating growing tissues, drinking the sap, ripping into the bases of fronds and exposing the plant to disease. “Kia’i Moku, Guarding the Island” is written by the Maui Invasive Species Committee to provide information on protecting the island from invasive plants and animals that threaten our islands’ environment, economy and quality of life.That’s a question the island state hopes it won’t have to answer as it attempts to stave off an invasion by the coconut rhinoceros beetle, an unwanted visitor that’s already done extensive damage on the U.S. She holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and a graduate degree in education from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. * Serena Fukushima is the public relations and education specialist for the Maui Invasive Species Committee. More information about this pest and compliant businesses on Oahu are at. A pest prevention training describing the coconut rhinoceros beetle and other invasive species is offered to nurseries and can be found at. Make sure to upload a photo of the beetle and/or signs of damage and note the exact location in the report. Suspected sightings of the beetle on Maui should be reported immediately to. Using mulch and compost right away by spreading it thinly, rather than storing it in piles, is another way to prevent beetle breeding habitat and undetected infestations. The most obvious sign of this beetle’s presence are bore holes in the crowns of palm trees or V-cut formations in the leaves. “When green waste is managed properly,” she explained, “it can drastically reduce an infestation and allow damaged palms to grow back.”Ĭoconut rhinoceros beetles bore into the crowns of healthy palm trees and bite through unopened leaves to feed on the sap. Arisa Barcinas is the outreach specialist for CRB Response, and champions successful control of the beetle. The team’s multipronged strategy includes the placement of pheromone traps, detector dogs, treatment of high-risk materials, quarantine protocols, research and outreach. Department of Agriculture, Hawaii Department of Agriculture and other key organizations, the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Response team has been working to stem the tide of this invasive pest on Oahu. Through a coordinated partnership with the University of Hawaii, U.S. Plump, brown-headed larvae with bluish-grey tails are huge - ranging from 2 to 4 inches long. An adult female beetle emerges from the crown to lay up to 140 eggs in its lifetime in nearby mulch piles or decomposed tree stumps. Adults bore through unopened leaves to feed on the sap. At 2 1/2 inches long, these large, black beetles are nocturnal and can fly up to 2 miles, spending most of their lives hidden high in the tops of coconuts, boring into the crowns of healthy palm trees.
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