Hawaii is doubling down on its fight against invasive coconut rhinoceros beetles, with government agencies greenlighting rules to prevent the harmful insects from spreading across the Pacific archipelago.
Hawaii’s Board of Agriculture on Tuesday approved regulations, including a ban on moving contaminated soil and compost between islands and an increase in insect inspections, to stem an influx of pests, according to Honolulu Civil Beat.
These rule changes, which have not yet been finalized, come after a delay of approximately 20 months. Coconut rhinoceros beetles were first spotted in Hawaii about a decade ago, but “multiple populations” were found on Kauai in May 2023, indicating the problem has worsened, state officials said.
Coconut rhinoceros beetles sometimes consume, damage and kill palm trees. According to Hawaii Public Radio, the beetle can also cause the death of pineapple, bananas, papaya, sugar cane and taro.
“This is about an all-hands-on-deck approach to controlling, preventing – and hopefully eradicating – the ongoing cycle of invasive species,” Dianne Ley, a Big Island board member, reportedly said.
These beetles, which are black and about 5 cm long, with a horn, do not bite. But “they can transmit diseases because they live in mud and muck,” authorities said.
The rules are also intended to stop the spread of tiny fire ants, another invasive species that endangers local agriculture and native flora and can harm people and pets. Although these aggressive ants have been plaguing the Big Island for years, they have recently spread to Oahu, prompting renewed calls for action, Hawaii Public Radio reports.
Conservationists in Hawaii are also increasing efforts to find breeding sites, which could help prevent the beetle population from increasing. Conservation Dogs of Hawaii has trained scent detection dogs to detect these insects.
According to Island News, a team of three dogs found more than 80 coconut rhino beetles during a training session in June.
