In a multi-agency effort, treatments, inspections and surveillance continue on Maui for coconut rhinoceros beetles (CRB). To date, no CRB have been confirmed on Maui since an initial detection of 17 live CRB larvae in one palm tree in Kīhei in November 2023. One dead CRB adult was found at a Maui retail store in September 2023.
The County of Maui Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Working Group, in collaboration with the University of Hawaiʻi College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources and the multi-agency Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Response team, will hold free training sessions Tuesday, Jan. 16, and Wednesday, Jan. 17, to equip attendees with information to identify, report and treat infestations of CRB.
Seventeen live coconut rhinoceros beetle larvae were found Tuesday by an arborist cutting down coconut palm trees in Kīhei. The arborist called the Maui Invasive Species Committee, and reported that he was contracted to remove 12 dead palm trees and found several large larvae in the crown of the first palm tree he cut down.
The new interim rule follows the first detection of CRB on Maui three weeks ago, when a dead adult CRB was found in a bag of compost shipped from O‘ahu at a Maui retailer. No other CRB has been detected on Maui. However, the efforts to restore the land and soil on Maui and Hawai‘i Island due to the wildfire damage have increased shipments of compost and organic landscaping material from O‘ahu, increasing the risk of the transport of CRB to non-infested areas.
The recent finding of a dead coconut rhinoceros beetle on Maui has prompted calls for vigilance among contractors and landowners to prevent the accidental spread of invasive species. This appeal comes at a time when the urgent need to address impacts from the Maui fires may increase the introduction of infested materials from off island.