WAILUA — A troublesome group of beetles have taken up residence at a local golf course, where hi-tech measures are soon to be taken to evict the pesky insects.
Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture and University of Hawai‘i researchers plan on using drones in an effort to eliminate an infestation of coconut rhinoceros beetles (CRB) at Wailua Municipal Golf Course.
The drones will be armed with the pesticide Cypermethrin, which has been found to be effective in killing the beetles. The goal is to treat roughly 20 percent of the approximately 580 coconut palm trees with the pesticide at the seaside golf course.
University of Hawai‘i researchers Dr. Dan Jenkins and Mohsen Paryavi have been developing a drone-based treatment on O‘ahu. The researchers will be piloting the drones, which are scheduled to take flight from Oct. 9 through Oct. 12 if the weather permits.
“With the extreme height of the palm trees, overhead pesticide treatment is the best way to reach the crowns of the palms where the CRB bore into the trees,” said Hawai‘i Board of Agriculture Chairperson Sharon Hurd on the trees, which range from 60 to 90 feet tall.
“The drones also provide a more targeted and efficient application of the pesticide rather than widespread spraying.”
As of Monday, Oct. 2, a total of 31 adult coconut rhinoceros beetles have been found in traps at the golf course. The beetles are known to bore into the crowns of palm trees in order to feed on the sap.
Parts of the golf course will be shuttered during the treatment, with the front nine holes scheduled to be closed from 10 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 9 through closing on Wednesday, Oct. 11. The back nine holes are scheduled to be closed all day on Thursday, Oct. 12 through Friday, Oct. 13.
The eradication effort will be bolstered by six staffers from the Plant Quarantine and Plant Pest Control branches on O‘ahu and Hawai‘i Island, as well as two staffers from the CRB Response Team on O‘ahu.
The presence of coconut rhinoceros beetles on the Hawaiian Islands dates back to December 2013, when an insect was trapped at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu.
The first beetle detected on Kaua‘i was near Lihu‘e Airport in late May 2023, the department of agriculture said. Since that time, 82 traps have been set around the island. The beetles have also been detected at a green waste facility in Lihu‘e.
In addition, three coconut rhinoceros beetles larvae were found in Kilauea and 23 larvae at Nukoli‘i Beach Park. That has led to multiple eradication efforts on the island. It is still not known how the beetles arrived in the state of Hawai‘i.
Reports of possible CRB infestation may be addressed to the CRB Response Team at 808-679-5244, via email at info@crbhawaii.gov or through the state’s toll free Pest Hotline at 808-643-7378.
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Wyatt Haupt Jr., editor, can be reached at 808-245-0457 or whaupt@thegardenisland.com.
