![]() ![]() In Ivory Coast (Africa), the adults of O. Boring holes also provides entry points for lethal secondary attacks and/or infection by the palm weevil Rhynchophorus (where present) or pathogens. In the dry season, spear growth is much slower and the palms are at this time more susceptible to damage. ![]() The central spear cluster grows about 4 cm/day during the wet season and counterbalances the damage. The beetle burrow at a rate of 4.2 cm/day, and will remain for 9 days inside its tunnel. Severely attacked palms with damaged hearts will die leafless though can remain standing.įeeding damage may reduce fruit production, kill both seedlings and young and old palms, and discourage replanting. The damaged young leaves eventually grows out and exhibits V-shaped notches on fronds. The adult beetles bore through stem bases of frond into the heart of the palms to feed on the vegetative bud and young leaves. “Hawaii Grown” is funded in part by grants from Ulupono Fund at the Hawaii Community Foundation and the Frost Family Foundation.Damage is usually effected by feeding adults. “But it’s a lot better than where we were in 2013 on Oahu.” “It’s going to be a tough couple of weeks or months,” Oishi said in an interview. “We want to make sure this does not happen on Kauai,” Hurd said in a press release.īut it is still too early to make any real determination of the level of presence, according to Darcy Oishi of the DOA Plant Pest Control Branch.Įven so, the comparatively low amount of sea and air traffic to Kauai, along with several other factors, made its appearance on the Garden Island surprising, Oishi says. Now, after the legislature pumped about $2 million into the coming year’s state budget to address the beetle problem, Hawaii could be in a better place to eradicate whatever population exists on Kauai. ![]() The coconut rhinoceros beetle has been able to cut palm populations in half on other Pacific islands.ĭOA Chair Sharon Hurd said previous efforts to control the horned beetle were underfunded and too little was known about them, leading to their unmitigated spread. That’s because a lot of mulch is produced on Kauai already, according to Mike Melzer of the University of Hawaii Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Response team.įinding the answer to where the insect came from will hopefully come soon, as tissue samples from the bugs have been sent from Kauai to UH Manoa for testing. Green waste is a key means of transport for the beetle, which breeds in mulch and foliage, making its appearance on Kauai more puzzling. Part of that plan was making sure it doesn’t hitch a ride anywhere else. ![]() The beetle is now firmly established on Oahu and, earlier this year, specialists announced they had moved into damage control and would no longer be able to eradicate the insect from the island. That’s because the beetles bore into the hearts of palm trees, effectively killing them in place. Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle larvae multiply in sites such as green waste transfer stations, like Kauai’s, which have perfect breeding conditions. The Department of Agriculture’s detection on Kauai comes after years of warnings from invasive species experts and entomologists, who have warned that Hawaii’s landscape would be overturned if the horned beetle gained a foothold. Two beetles were found on Kauai near Lihue Airport, one found alive at a green waste transfer station on May 31 and another found two days later, dead in a trap close by. Now it’s been found on Kauai.Ĭoconut rhinoceros beetles have been discovered on Kauai, marking the insect’s first confirmed detection outside Oahu since its arrival in Hawaii almost 10 years ago. The invasive insect has decimated the Pacific’s coconut palm populations. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |