April 17, 2026

Kauai honeycreepers given a lifeline while waiting for IIT approval

0
69398

On August 8, the day designated as Hawaiian Honeycreeper Day, a team from the Kauai Forest Bird Recovery Project will take to the skies to spread two naturally occurring bacteria — Bacillus thuringiensis (sold commercially as “Dunk”) and Bacillus sphaericus — to provide Kauai’s critically endangered forest birds a lifeline, according to the Department of Land and Natural Resources.


What You Need To Know

    • A team from the Kauai Forest Bird Recovery Project will spread two naturally occurring bacteria in Kauai’s upland area by air as a lifeline for the island’s critically endangered native birds
    • According to the DLNR, the two bacteria are traditionally used to prevent mosquito larvae from hatching and are harmless to humans
    • The naturally occurring bacteria are also found in soil around the world and are widely used in organic agriculture and water treatment
  • The focus is on helping birds, but the mosquito-suppression effort will also benefit people

While the proposed mosquito birth control, known as the Incompatible Insect Technique, is being heard in Oahu Circuit Court with the next court date set for Aug. 15, the two bacteria will be spread through the air in the uplands of Kauai.

FULL STORY

What do you feel about this?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *