Just when you thought it was safe to ship in a little greenery, the pesky Coconut Rhinoceros Beetles (CRB) rear their ugly heads again. In recent updates, these invasive insects have been hitching a ride to Lāna‘i, nestled cozily in potted plants from O‘ahu. Twice since May, Lāna‘i has seen an unwelcome arrival of CRB, in instances reported by the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity and the ever-vigilant folks at Pūlama Lāna‘i (PL)—a land management company with an eye for keeping the island pristine and pest-free.
The first unsettling find was a potential CRB larva in May, tucked into a shipment of potted palms—a discovery made by PL employees with keen eyes. According to a report from the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, this prompted an immediate lockdown of the shipment, while experts from O‘ahu and Maui were flown in for a closer look. They confirmed our suspicious larvae to indeed be CRB on June 6. Despite the best efforts of O‘ahu nurseries, which showed no apparent CRB infestations, clearly, something slipped through the cracks—or more appropriately, the soil.
By July 9, another shipment arrived on Lāna‘i, during which Pūlama Lāna‘i staff discovered a live ant species and an adult male Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB) on a tropical plant pot. In response, the plants were immediately secured in a shipping container. The following day, the container and its contents were incinerated, according to the Department of Agriculture's report.
Jonathan Sprague, director of conservation at Pūlama Lāna‘i, cited the interception of CRB as evidence of the value of their biosecurity program. “Over the past 12 years, our team has intercepted a number of invasive pests through our biosecurity program, including little fire ant and coqui frog,” Sprague told the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity.
The Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, in collaboration with Pūlama Lāna‘i and other partners, is increasing its efforts to contain the spread of Coconut Rhinoceros Beetles. Additional detection traps and pheromone lures will be deployed across Lāna‘i. Pūlama Lāna‘i is also considering halting imports of oversized plant pots from O‘ahu to minimize risk. The state is in the process of amending administrative rules regarding the transport of CRB host materials.
