joint base pearl harbor hickam coconut rhinoceros beetle

#Joint base pearl harbor hickam coconut rhinoceros beetle how to

Photo by Peter Lillywhite, Museum Victoria, Pests and Diseases Image Library. Photo by Peter Lillywhite, Museum Victoria, Pests and Diseases Image LibraryĪdult female. The CRB’s favorite habitats for breeding sites are dead, standing coconut trees and fallen coconut logs, but they can survive on many different types of decaying vegetation.Īdult male (note the larger horn). They look stout, measuring about 2 inches long and 3 quarters of an inch to almost an inch wide. It has a horn on the top of its head, which is why it’s called a rhinoceros beetle. The adult is a big, shiny, and dark brown or black beetle. The survey information will help the response team to formulate its response strategies.

#Joint base pearl harbor hickam coconut rhinoceros beetle how to

Conduct public outreach and education about the CRB and how to report suspected beetles or signs of infestation.Limit pest spread by eliminating plant debris that could be used for breeding sites and,.Deploy detection and delimitation traps to determine the infestation’s boundaries.USDA is coordinating with the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, the University of Hawaii, Military Leadership (Navy and Airforce) at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickem the U.S. This damage results from beetles boring through developing leaves. The V shape could be right side up or upside down. The V-shaped palm frond damage is a classic sign of CRB infestation.Īlso look for V-shaped damage to the palm fronds. You’ll also usually see coconut fibers around the hole.

They’re typically large enough for you to put at least two fingers into. Look for holes on the stems of palm fronds. Photo courtesy of Ernie Nelson, Greenscapes Inc. Date palms are also produced in Arizona, Sonora and Baja California in Mexico.Īdult CRBs create holes in palm frond stems. Although a net importer of dates, fresh or dried, the United States exports between 5,000 and 6,000 tons of dates annually. commercial fresh date producer, with a crop valued at nearly $41.7 million in 2012.

If the pest were to be introduced into the continental United States, it could damage date palm production.

The CRB has also been recorded feeding on economically important commercial crops such as bananas, sugarcane, papayas, sisal, pineapples, taro and date palms.

That’s why Hawaiians like to call coconut palms and other Polynesian-transported plants “canoe plants.” It was one of the useful plants the original Polynesians brought to Hawaii on their voyaging canoes. Pacific Islanders deeply value the coconut palm for its cultural importance. Their beauty is treasured by residents and tourists alike. Younger palms are more vulnerable than mature ones.Ĭoconut palms are an important part of Hawaii’s ecosystem, nursery industry, and iconic scenery. This damage can significantly reduce coconut production and kill the palms. They bore into the center of the crown (or top), where they injure young, growing tissue and feed on the sap. The adult CRB damages coconut and other palms. They identified two breeding sites in compost piles located at golf courses on the base. Since the initial find, survey specialists have detected additional adults in traps in the same area. In December 2013, an adult coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) was trapped in a pest survey trap at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii.