Banyan Tree Wasp Infestation Highlights Urban Decay In Hilo Waterfront 0 The plight of some 50 banyan trees near downtown Hilo puts a spotlight on Banyan Drive’s deeper, longstanding troubles.
HILO, Hawaii Island — An iconic section of Hawaii island is slowly dying and with it, an important piece of the state’s history.
Invasive wasps coupled with government bureaucracy and complex social ills have contributed to the degeneration of Banyan Drive, one of Hawaii’s most famous roadways.
The tree-lined street snakes along Waikea Peninsula, a waterfront slice of Hilo that once attracted film stars, U.S. presidents, professional athletes and other notable figures.
High-profile visitors – including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Babe Ruth, Richard and Pat Nixon, Amelia Earhart, and King George V — planted banyan saplings along the drive starting in the 1930s. A Hollywood film crew planted the first baby banyan in October 1933 as acclaimed director Cecil B. DeMille prepared to begin shooting, according to “The Trees of Banyan Drive,” a book by author and forensic anthropologist Jane Lasswell Hoff.
