Look for the mission titled “Help Save Hawaii’s Coconut Trees” at /missions/18256600. Submit pictures of damaged coconuts or palms via the Project Noah website. To learn more, visit the Hawaii Department of Agriculture CRB update page at “”>/pi/main/crb. Other types of pests can cause cuts and boring, but if you see these symptoms, an expert can help check it out. You can help by looking for boring holes in the palm crown and the distinctive V-shaped cut on the leaves. The key to preventing their establishment and protecting coconuts, native and landscape palms in Hawaii is detecting their presence early. Coconut rhinoceros beetles have not been detected on Maui. However, with any flying insect, certainty about the extent of an infestation can be challenging. While coconuts are the preferred host, the beetles can live on other palms, banana trees, sugar cane, agave, even ironwood and taro.īased on current surveys, the infestation on Oahu seems limited, with all known sites under active control. The adults hatch at night, flying a few hundred feet to a nearby tree. Larvae mature through several stages over the next two to three months and finally form a cocoon, where they become adult beetles. They lack any marking on the underside of their mouth. These brown-headed larvae with bluish-grey tail tints feel squishy and crawl on their sides. Even the larvae reach an impressive size – from 2 inches to just over 4 inches long. An adult female beetle lays 70 to 140 eggs in its lifetime, depositing the eggs in mulch heaps or soft logs where they hatch into large whitish larvae. The population of these giant beetles grows quickly. Over time, the mature trees are not replaced. Mature coconut trees can typically withstand feeding damage but plants under 3 years old often die. These monstrous beetles bore into the crowns of healthy palms, biting through unopened leaves and then feed on the sap produced by the injured plant. Notable as they are in appearance, these beetles spend most of their adult stage out of sight, high in the tops of coconut trees. ![]() However, it’s not known how the beetle arrived in Hawaii nor where it came from. When coconut rhinoceros beetles were detected in Guam in 2007, Hawaii officials grew concerned that the pest would make its way here, given the regular exchange of goods between the islands.
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