Prevention policies, community can stop coconut rhinoceros beetles | News, Sports, Jobs

The Kapuaiwa coconut grove on Molokai was planted in 1860 for King Kamehameha V. This historic grove and coconuts throughout Hawaii are at risk from the coconut rhinoceros beetle. Photo courtesy Forest and Kim Starr

Would-be weavers spilled out of the shade under an open-sided tent at the Arbor Day event at Maui Nui Botanical Garden. Holding coconut leaves in their hands, they patiently worked the material back and forth in intricate patterns. At times, chatter came from the tent, other times it was silent, brows furrowed in concentration. The kumu, master weaver Pohaku Kaho’ohanohano, moved among the weavers, getting some started, while trimming up and tying off the finished creations of others. Novice weavers hugged the kumu, beaming as they walked away with a new hat, bag, bowl, toy or ornament created out of a diminishing pile of leaves.

Coconut weaving is a tradition that dates back thousands of years throughout Polynesia. Coconut palms were first brought to Hawaii with the Polynesians. The coconut plant is akin to a pre-contact department store; you can find your needs and wants in the tree. Food (coconut meat) and drink (coconut water), material for building shelters, making rope and weaving mats, bowls and storage containers all come from the coconut. It’s even used for games and in ceremonial practice; the nut is used in ‘awa ceremony.

But the future of coconuts in Hawaii is at risk from a pest accidentally introduced to Hawaii. The coconut rhinoceros beetle is spreading on Oahu and has begun to reach other islands.

At 2 inches long, the CRB is a beefy beetle, but it isn’t going to fly interisland on its own. Being aware of what you are moving and where it is coming from is the first step in preventing the coconut rhinoceros beetle from reaching Maui. By being alert to signs of CRB damage, a vigilant community can help find the pest early and keep it from becoming established.

There are prevention measures in place. In October, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture instituted a temporary, one-year rule prohibiting the movement of high-risk material from Oahu to the rest of the state to reduce the risk of spreading coconut rhinoceros beetle. As of October, the following items cannot be moved without a permit: palm plants; decomposing plant material, such as compost, wood or tree chips; mulch; potting soil; and other landscaping products that may harbor CRB.

Preventing the spread of coconut rhinoceros beetles and finding them early can protect coconuts. One indication of the beetles is V-shaped cuts on the fronds from beetles boring through the crown. Photo courtesy Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Response

These safeguards reduce but do not entirely eliminate the risk of spreading CRB. Here are steps you can take to keep the beetle at bay.

For Maui County, soil, compost and mulch are the greatest risk. Contractors and landscapers bringing in container loads are doing so by permit, but careful sourcing — checking with the vendor if material came from infested areas — can prevent contamination. Homeowners purchasing bagged landscaping products are advised to be alert as well.

Why? It turns out that bags aren’t much of a barrier to a beetle that can chew through coconut trees. Even if the compost, mulch or soil wasn’t sourced from an infested area, if bagged soil sits in an infested area, an adult beetle can lay eggs in it. The first detection of CRB on Maui was a dead adult found in bagged soil; this was also the suspected vector of CRB found recently on Hawaii island.

Know where your soil and compost are coming from and check for boring holes in bags as well as larvae. Storing material in closed containers will prevent beetles from laying eggs in them.

The quarantine rule also prohibits shipping coconut plants from Oahu that are taller than 4 feet, to allow thorough inspection, but soil in these and all potted plants could be a vector. CRB eggs are only about the size of 1/3 of a Tic Tac.

As populations of CRB on Oahu continue to grow, the risk of accidentally transporting the beetle interisland will increase. Visit crbhawaii.org to learn more about how to distinguish the coconut rhinoceros beetle from similar-looking species and to see photos of palm damage that can indicate an infestation. Contractors and landscapers can find best management practices to reduce the risk of introducing CRB on the MISC website, mauiinvasive.org. Find details about the interim rule on the Hawaii Department of Agriculture’s website, hdoa.hawaii.gov/. Report suspicious larvae and palm damage through the 643PEST.org reporting system. We need everyone’s kokua to help protect our coconuts, from the royal grove in Kapuaiwa on Molokai to the palms that shade the beaches of Hana.

* Lissa Fox Strohecker is the public relations and education specialist for the Maui Invasive Species Committee. She holds a biological sciences degree from Montana State University. Kia’i Moku, “Guarding the Island,” is prepared by the Maui Invasive Species Committee to provide information on protecting the island from invasive plants and animals that can threaten the island’s environment, economy and quality of life.

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