A dead coconut rhinoceros beetle found among compost bags on Maui is shown. Photo courtesy Department of Agriculture
A dead coconut rhinoceros beetle was found among compost bags at a Maui big-box store on Monday by staff from the state Department of Agriculture, the department announced Thursday.
Staff from the department’s Plant Pest Control Branch and Plant Quarantine Branch were conducting a routine survey at the Maui store when they noticed a hole in one of the compost bags and found the dead beetle. Fifteen pallets of the bagged compost were voluntarily placed in quarantine by the store and all pallets were contained and are being shipped back to Oahu, where the product originated, the department said.
Immediately after the discovery, Plant Quarantine Branch inspectors on Maui and Hawaii island were dispatched to other retailers and pallets of the compost bags from the same company were also quarantined and will be shipped back to Oahu. Plant Quarantine Branch staff on Kauai are also surveying retailers on that island.
“We appreciate the cooperation of the retailers, distributors and manufacturers in helping to contain the situation and prevent the spread of CRB in the state,” said Dexter Kishida, deputy to the Department of Agriculture chairperson. “The Department of Agriculture continues to work with mulch and compost companies on Oahu to prevent the movement of the beetle to uninfested areas.”
Anyone who has recently purchased locally produced compost from a big-box retailer on Maui may return the product to the store. Or, locally produced compost product may be dropped off at the Maui Plant Quarantine Branch offices at:
≤ 635 Mua Street, Kahului, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
≤ Maui Plant Quarantine Inspection Office, Kahului Airport (next to the Aloha Air Cargo office on Haleakala Highway), 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.
If the product is not in a returnable state, each bag of the product may be double-bagged and sealed in dark-colored, heavy-duty plastic bags. The sealed bags should be placed on a concrete slab or asphalt that gets direct sunlight for five consecutive days.
Coconut rhinoceros beetles are a serious pest of palm trees, primarily coconut palms, as the adult beetles bore into the crowns of the palms to feed on the tree’s sap. This can damage new unopened fronds, which may break and fall unexpectedly. If beetles kill or damage the growing point of the palm, the tree may die. Secondary fungal or bacterial pathogens may also attack the wounds caused by the beetle, thereby killing the tree as well. Tree mortality after a coconut rhinoceros beetle attack has been reported to be anywhere from 10 percent to 50 percent. Dead trees then become a safety hazard as they may fall unexpectedly after the trunk rots, potentially injuring people or damaging properties.
The beetle is a major pest of palms across the Pacific, and it is still not known exactly how it arrived in Hawaii.
The invasive bug was first detected on Oahu in December 2013 and later on Kauai in May.
Live coconut rhinoceros beetles have yet to be detected on Maui.
Surveillance for the beetle has been ongoing on all Neighbor Islands, including in pheromone traps at airports, harbors and other strategic locations. More than 3,000 traps have been deployed around Oahu.
Green waste provides an optimal breeding environment for the coconut rhinoceros beetle and residents on all islands are urged to check their compost bins and green waste for the beetle larvae, the Agriculture Department said.
In an effort to stop the spread of the beetle to Neighbor Islands, the department will be reissuing an interim rule, originally issued in July 2022, restricting the movement of coconut rhinoceros host material from Oahu to Neighbor Islands.
This includes, but is not limited to palm plants; decomposing plant material such as compost, wood or tree chips, and mulch; plant-growing media (potting soils, etc.); and other products containing organic plant material.
Reports of possible coconut rhinoceros beetle infestation may be addressed to the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Response Team at (808) 679-5244 or email info@crbhawaii.org. Or, call the state’s toll-free Pest Hotline at (808) 643-PEST (7378).
A dead coconut rhinoceros beetle found among compost bags on Maui is shown. Photo courtesy Department of AgricultureToday's breaking news and more in your inbox
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