Heads up, residents of Kona Palisades. Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity officials are canvassing your neighborhood in an effort to contain a destructive pest.
Kona has been dealing with a serious coconut rhinoceros beetle infestation since March. CRB, which already has a foothold on Oʻahu and Kauaʻi, feeds on palms and other important crops.
Much of the beetle activity in Kona has been concentrated in the Keāhole Agricultural Park and around the airport, just a stone's throw away from Palisades.
State ag officials and their partners have been treating trees in those areas, and they anticipate that the beetles will start to seek new food sources and host materials nearby.
Kamran Fujimoto with HDAB said Palisades is likely the beetles' next stop.
"These beetles are going to start looking for another home," he said. "Our theory is they're probably going to start migrating up the hill."
Adult beetles can fly distances up to a mile. They travel at night, and Fujimoto said they may be attracted to porch or garage lights left on after dark.
Fujimoto and his colleagues will be going door to door in Palisades over the next few months seeking consent from residents to treat palms on their properties.
Once they receive permission, they will schedule a time to return and apply insecticide to the crowns of any palms in your yard, free of charge.
"I know a lot of the public may be kind of leery about chemical control, but it's going to be the most effective and efficient way to get a handle on this beetle," Fujimoto said.
The insecticide lasts three to five months. If a beetle comes by during that time and takes a bite of your tree, it will likely die.
HDAB hopes to treat at least 80% to 85% of the trees in Palisades, with residents' cooperation. Fujimoto said some trees in the neighborhood already have beetle damage, suggesting that CRB is spreading.
If residents believe their trees are showing signs of damage, they should report it to the invasive pest hotline. CRB also lays its eggs in green waste, compost or mulch, and untended piles could be harboring CRB larvae.
HDAB does not have a Kona office or a full-time presence in Kona, so Fujimoto said that Kona residents play a critical role in stopping the spread of CRB.
"We ask that the residents be our eyes on the ground," he said. "If you see anything that resembles a rhino beetle or a rhino beetle grub, please give us a call."
