An eradication program for rhinoceros beetle in Hawaiʻi

On December 13, 2013, a single female coconut rhinoceros beetle was collected from a trap located at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) as part of a cooperative survey with the University of Hawaii (UH) and US Department of Agriculture Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ). Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA), PPQ and UH launched delimiting surveys. A breeding site was detected on JBHH and an eradication project was launched in January 2014. The Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Project, a collaborative effort between the US Navy, US Air Force, US Army, USDA, UH and led by HDOA has so far been successful at containing the beetle population. Six large breeding sites have been controlled with zero signs of breeding activity. Approximately 2700 traps have been deployed island wide to monitor for beetle activity. The Program is continually innovating new ways to detect and control the beetle.