![]() Curtiss has asked for more as the operation continues to ramp up this year. Eradication efforts cost the state and federal governments $2.5 million in 2014. The bug doesn't appear to have landed on the neighbor islands, but expanding monitoring operations there is on Curtiss' agenda for 2015. The bugs breed in mulch piles, which means a lot of mulch grinding and burning. Most days, except on the military base, the traps are empty, bar the occasional live gecko. Of the 1,500 beetles caught in 2014, only 60 were found off base. So far, the beetle appears to be contained to three major areas, all on military property. ![]() A virus and a fungus targeting the beetle are possible, but researchers still must conduct studies to make sure they won't harm other native species. Chemicals used successfully in Southeast Asia aren't approved for use in the U.S. Officials suspect the beetle came to Hawaii in air cargo.Įntomologists still haven't developed an effective pesticide to kill the beetle and its Vienna sausage-sized larvae. A more recent survey in 2006 of infested areas in Malaysia showed that beetles wiped out 67% of palm crops. Studies of Palau in the 1950s showed that half of all palms on the island were killed within 10 years of introduction. Pictures of beetle-ravaged groves in Guam show barren trunks jutting 40 feet out of the ground like giant twigs. The beetles are native to Southeast Asia and have spread throughout the Pacific. When a beetle bumps into the trap, it falls into the cup and can't escape. The nocturnal beetles are attracted to the trap by a pheromone lure and the glow of a small solar-powered LED light. The pair continued on their rounds, checking their maps to find the traps, which resemble 4-foot-long black lanterns with a white plastic cup at the bottom. "I'll be at the beach and find myself staring at coconut trees all afternoon," Potter said. It takes a practiced eye to spot early damage on an otherwise healthy tree, and the habit can be hard to break off duty.
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