While Pearl City Peninsula, Waipio Peninsula, Mililani, and Kunia are coconut rhinoceros beetle hot spots on Oʻahu, data from the last 6 months reveal a slightly different trend than we observed in months past. If you are in one of these areas, please continue keeping an eye out for CRB, capture any you find, and report them here.
Areas of CRB infestation continue to persist in hot spots of Pearl City Peninsula and Iroquois point, but relative to other areas, trap detections have decreased overall after landscape-scale palm treatments. Previous detections maps show these areas in bright yellow which has decreased with our most current dataset.
Increasing CRB numbers in Kunia and Mililani are concerning, but palm treatments are planned for 2022. We suspect these newer areas of infestation may be driving island-wide increases. Regular detections on the Waiʻanae coast and North Shore indicate increased beetle activity shown in light blue. In those areas, our team is continuing to identify potential sources of beetle infestation.
Something new this month is the bar graph showing the CRB trap detections for the past six months. October 2021 revealed a record decrease in CRB trap detections, and despite the slight uptick in November and December, we hope treating new areas of palms and breeding sites will lead to additional decreases in detections. Inclement weather often affects our data, as some areas may be inaccessible for periods of time. When crews are able to access those sites, a backlog of detections can show an artificial spike.
Over 3,100 traps across Oʻahu remove some CRB from the environment, but they also provide valuable data to predict where breeding sites may be. The data collected from CRB trap catches guides decisions about where to prioritize additional breeding site surveys, canine team visits, and outreach efforts. You can help stop the spread of CRB by following our green waste management guidelines and reporting any CRB adults, larvae, or tree damage!