Maui creates working group for coconut rhinoceros beetles
In September, staff with the Hawaii Department of Agriculture found a dead coconut rhinoceros beetle among compost bags at a big box store on Maui during a routine inspection. Two months later, a Maui arborist reported finding 17 live CRB while cutting down coconut palm trees in Kihei.
Now, Maui County officials are on alert as they do not want the highly destructive beetles to become widespread. The beetle bores into the crowns of palm trees to feed on sap, killing many of the trees attacked. The beetle is already widespread on Oahu, after first being discovered in 2013 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. This summer, the beetle was detected on Kauai for the first time.
On Thursday, Maui County Department of Agriculture announced a Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Working Group focused on addressing the threat of the invasive insect on Maui and preventing it from spreading to Molokai and Lanai.
