coconut rhinoceros beetle impact in hawaii

Since the beetle landed on Oahu in late 2013, eradication operations have been in progress, successfully controlling the number until this month, when insect larvae were found on Kauai. The plan has been nicknamed 'Plan B' for the nearly decade-long battle to control the beetle, which has the potential to wipe out populations of coconut palms, according to DOA Director Sharon Hurd. The hungry hogs will be sent out to find them after they've dozed off and devour them. Because mulch is where the beetles prefer to breed, these stations will serve as bait for the beetles. Hungry pigs will be utilized as part of a larger strategy that also includes the construction of transfer stations for green garbage. The Department of Agriculture is betting on the ability of hogs to decimate the coconut rhinoceros beetle infestation on Oahu by feeding their appetites. 15: 241–251.The success of a recent demonstration puts hope on hungry hogs feasting on larvae to eradicate the invasive coconut rhinoceros beetle infestation in Oahu. Observations of the biology and ecology of Orycetes rhinoceros and Scapanes australis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae): pests of coconut palms in Melanesia.

(eds.), Nontarget effects of biological control. Predicting the risk from biological control agent introductions: a New Zealand approach, pp. Preliminary study on the efficacy of certain bacterial insecticides on the rhinoceros beetle. Biological suppression of Oryctes rhinoceros by re-release of Baculovirus oryctes in an infected contiguous area. University of Hawai’i at Manoa, Honolulu, HI.īabjan, B., Sudha Devi K., Dangar T., and Sathiamma B. Analysis and development of management tools for Oryctes rhinoceros (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America.Īdams, B. Research gaps and directions deserving future attention are highlighted and a strategy for renovation of biological controls for CRB suggested.ĬRB-G Metarhizium Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus biological control coconut rhinoceros beetle integrated pest management. In this article, we review literature on CRB to 1) analyze past introductions of BCAs and their effectiveness 2) identify potentially important natural enemies and their geographical origins and 3) assess possible approaches for utilization of BCAs against the new wave of CRB invasion. The re-emergence of CRB as a serious pest warrants a rigorous re-evaluation of potential BCAs and a new search for effective natural enemies if necessary. Recently a new biotype of the beetle, known as CRB-G, has spread into the Pacific Islands causing unprecedented levels of damage due to the failure of previously successful biological control agents (BCAs) to suppress this biotype.

Release of the Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus Huger (OrNV) and the species complex of Metarhizium Sorokin (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) was successful in controlling CRB in its invaded range. In the 1950s and 1960s, an international biological control effort was initiated to search for and release natural enemy species. It has since spread to several Pacific island nations and territories, causing significant economic impact on these important coconut and palm-growing regions. The insect is native to South and Southeast Asia and was inadvertently introduced into the Pacific in 1909. Adults bore into the crown and damage developing fronds, which affects tree development and yield.

The coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB: Oryctes rhinoceros Linnaeus) is one of the most damaging pests to coconut and oil palms in Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Coconut rhinoceros beetle impact in hawaii