Three live adult coconut rhinoceros beetles (CRB) were recently detected in traps in the Waikoloa area.
The captures were the first detections of adult CRB on Hawaiʻi Island since six grubs (larvae) were found by a resident in a decaying palm tree in Waikoloa Village last fall.
More than 80 detection traps, which are used for early detection of CRB infestations and are not effective in reducing populations of the beetle, were deployed on Hawai‘i Island by multiple state agencies and are routinely checked by HDOA Plant Pest Control (PPC) staff and members of the Big Island Invasive Species Committee (BIISC). Additional traps have been deployed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and community groups.
On April 15, the detection of a single beetle was reported in a “camera trap” at the West Hawai‘i Landfill by the University of Hawai‘i’s Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Response, which developed the camera traps that take pictures on a routine basis and sends the images through a cellular signal. HDOA’s PPC was notified and retrieved the male beetle from the trap which had been initially deployed by the USDA.
On April 22, HDOA was notified by the BIISC that two adult CRB were found in traps at the Waikoloa Dry Forest Reserve. Those traps had been deployed by members of the Waikoloa community.
To supplement HDOA workforce in West Hawai‘i, staff from the Plant Quarantine Branch (PQB) on O‘ahu flew over to assist in confirming the location of the CRB detections and to conduct additional surveys.
West Hawai‘i residents may report suspected CRB to the state’s toll-free Pest Hotline at 808-643-PEST (7378). Plant Quarantine inspectors in Kona will follow up and provide further instructions.
Prior to the recent detections in Waikoloa, HDOA PPC and the CRB Response Team had already scheduled extensive surveying and treatment activities for the beginning of May. Plans are being developed to try new methods of treatment for palm trees. Additional detection traps will be deployed, including a new generation of smart traps.
HDOA’s Pesticides Branch applied for and received a crisis emergency exemption from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to treat palms with the pesticide, cypermetherin, which has been found to be effective in killing CRB. The EPA has only authorized its use in the counties of Maui, Kaua‘i and Hawai‘i.
On Hawai‘i Island, PQB inspectors have been on heightened alert for any mulch or compost material arriving on the island. Such materials transported from O‘ahu to neighbor islands are required to be heat treated or fumigated prior to shipping to kill any CRB.
Suspected CRB should be reported to the State’s Pest Hotline at 808-643-PEST (7378). More information on CRB may be found at https://www.crbhawaii.org/
Photo credit: Department of Agriculture