Coconut beetles found in Kauaʻi compost: HDOA

LIHUE, Hawaii (KHON2) — The State Department of Agriculture has a request for Kauaʻi residents to check your compost bins.

That’s after two coconut rhinoceros beetles were recently found near Līhuʻe Airport. Officials said they were both female beetles.

This is the first time these insects have been found outside of Oʻahu; so, Officials want to catch any possible breeding areas immediately to stop the beetle’s spread on Kauaʻi.

A response team is now on Kauaʻi to do further surveys, add additional traps and possibly fumigate areas.

“Members of HDOA’s Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Response Team on O‘ahu have been deployed to Kaua‘i to assist KISC and other partner agencies in conducting surveys to determine the extent of any infestation and to begin appropriate eradication measures if necessary.”

State Department of Agriculture

There will be green waste fumigation equipment sent via barge to Kaua‘i to treat green waste if CRB infestations are detected.

“It’s critical that we catch any possible breeding areas immediately to try and stop the beetle’s spread on Kaua‘i,” said Sharon Hurd, chairperson of the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture. “We need everyone’s eyes to look out for possible infestation sites and to report it.”

HDOA said they implemented an Incident Command Structure since CRB was first detected on O‘ahu in 2013. This project will expand the use of the incident management system for the unfolding situation on Kaua‘i. This will include additional staffing from KISC.

HDOA indicated that there will be partner agencies which include KISC, the University of Hawai‘i, the Hawai‘i Invasive Species Council, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation and the County of Kaua‘i.

The response plan for Kaua‘i includes:

• Conducting visual surveys within a one-mile buffer zone of the first detections.
• Deployment of additional traps at 25 priority sites, including the use of cameras and ultraviolet traps.
• Possible fumigation of green waste at the transfer station.
• Possible deployment of CRB-detector dogs after initial surveys by the response team.
• Review of the possible pathways of introduction of CRB to uninfested areas.

HDOA has set up surveillance for CRB. This is an ongoing project for all neighbor islands. This project utilizes pheromone traps and have been used for more than five years in strategic locations at Nāwiliwili Harbor and Līhu‘e Airport.

The traps are used for early detection of CRB infestations. There are mor than 3,000 CRB traps that have been deployed around O‘ahu to track infestation areas in recent years.

HDOA asked the public to report any possible CRB infestations at (808) 679-5244 or email info@crbhawaii.org or the state’s toll-free Pest Hotline at (808) 643-PEST (7378).