Coconut rhinoceros beetle found at Hilo Airport

Coconut rhinoceros beetle found at Hilo Airport

HILO (HawaiiNewsNow) - An invasive insect was found at the Hilo International Airport on Monday.

Staff from the Big Island Invasive Species Committee reportedly found a dead female adult coconut rhinoceros beetle in a detection trap.

The insect is believed to have entered the trap sometime since the previous trap check, which occurred on June 16.

Officials have been monitoring pest traps at island harbors and airports since 2017, as part of the Hawaii Invasive Species Council’s Ports of Entry Monitoring program.

The goal of the program is to track, trace, and prevent the spread of these beetles across the islands.

This is the second detection of CRB in Hilo, after a dead beetle was found in a retail store near a mulch display last year that was believed to have been shipped from Oahu.

Follow-up monitoring is underway and additional detection traps are being placed in the area.

Hawaii County is also collaborating with other agencies to deploy detection dogs to conduct surveys of mulch and green waste nearby during the next week.

CRB pose a threat to palm trees, as the insects are known to bore into palm trees and kill them from within.

The public is encouraged to report CRB sightings via email at biisc@hawaii.edu, through social media via the Big Island Invasive Species Committee’s pages on Facebook or Instagram, or click here to submit an online report.

Here are some tips from the Big Island Invasive Species Committee about how to prevent the spread of CRB:

- Turn compost piles and search for CRB larvae: Collect any suspect larvae in a sealed container, like a glass jar, take photos, and immediately report it.

- Be vigilant when purchasing or transporting mulch, compost, and soil products, and avoid bags with tears or holes in the packaging, as they may be infested with CRB.

- Check palms for signs of feeding damage, as it can take several months for CRB-damaged fronds to be visible.

Community members in Keaukaha, Panaewa, and the Hilo area can help with CRB detection by volunteering to host a CRB panel trap on their properties.

Call (808) 933-3340 to request a trap.

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