Another live adult coconut rhinoceros beetle has been found outside of the known infestation area on Oahu. Crews found a live female beetle in a survey trap near Mililani, south of the Leilehua Golf Course, on Monday, according to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture.
This is several miles north of where adult coconut rhinoceros beetle have been previously found on Oahu. On Oct. 16, a sole male adult adult coconut rhinoceros was found in a trap near the Diamond Head Lookout.
Previously, adult coconut rhinoceros beetle continued to be found within a six-mile zone around Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam were the pest was initially found in December 2013. A second two-mile buffer zone was created in the Campbell Industrial Park area after an adult coconut rhinoceros beetle was found in a survey trap in July 2014 and a third two-mile buffer zone is being established around the Diamond Head Lookout. Now, a fourth buffer zone will be established around the latest detection.
Crews will be deploying traps in higher density in the new buffer zones and conducting additional surveys for breeding sites and damage to coconut trees.
Since adult coconut rhinoceros beetle was first detected, crews have set about 2,300 panel traps all over Oahu and surveyed more than 95,000 palm trees and 280 mulch sites. About 130 palm trees have been removed and destroyed. About 1,000 adult beetles, 1,100 larvae and 16 pupae have been found on Oahu. The majority of the detections remains within the six-mile buffer zone with Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam as the center.
The response team may be reached at 679-5244 or stoprhino@gmail.com.
A major pest of palms in India, the Philippines, the Palaus, Fiji, Wallis, Nukunono, American and Western Samoa and Guam, this beetle damages palms by boring into the center of the crown where they injure young, growing tissue and feed on the sap. As the beetle bores into the crown, it cuts through developing leaves, causing damage to the fronds. V-shaped cuts in the fronds and holes through the midrib are visible as leaves mature and unfold.
A multi-agency group has been working under the Incident Command System to manage this eradication program. Agencies currently involved include: Hawaii Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Navy, Dept. of Land and Natural Resources, UH-College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Oahu Invasive Species Committee and others. Funding has also been received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Hawaii Invasive Species Council.
Suspected coconut rhinoceros beetles should be reported to the state’s toll-free pest hotline at 643-PEST (7378). For updated information, visit hdoa.hawaii.gov/pi/main/crb.
