#Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle

Following two recent detections in Central Maui, the Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC) is urging the community to remain alert for invasive coconut rhinoceros beetles (CRB).Following two recent detections in Central Maui, the Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC) is urging the community to remain alert for invasive coconut rhinoceros beetles (CRB).

The Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity approved Interim Rule 26-2 on Tuesday, restricting the transportation of coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) host materials from any other area in the state to the islands of Maui and Lānaʻi.

The County of Maui Department of Environmental Management, Office of the Mayor and Department of Agriculture are encouraging community members to attend a free meeting on Monday July 13, 2026, to address the economic, cultural and ecosystem threats stemming from invasive Coconut Rhinoceros Beetles (CRB), pests recently detected on Maui. 

The Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity is reminding businesses, organizations and individuals operating in a designated coconut rhinoceros beetle-infested area of West Hawaiʻi Island that they must obtain a compliance agreement before handling host materials for the invasive pest. The requirement stems from Interim Rule 26-1, approved by the state Board of Agriculture and […]

The inaugural 2026 ʻAha Niu: Maui Nui Coconut Celebration Festival showcased the passion the Maui Nui community has for safeguarding and perpetuating niu (coconut) for future generations. In early June, five adult coconut rhinoceros beetles were found in traps in Waikapū. On the heels of that news, the ʻAha Niu festival was held June 13 at Maui Nui […]

Ongoing Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB) monitoring efforts on Maui continue to highlight the importance of active green waste management and composting as part of broader strategies to reduce potential breeding habitat for the invasive pest.

Amid growing concerns of food insecurity and the threat of CRB (coconut rhinoceros beetle), ʻAha Niu: Maui Nui Coconut Celebration Festival aims to bring to life niu’s historical, cultural, and agricultural importance in Hawaiʻi and across the Pacific.

Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Awareness Month returns this May for its ninth year, bringing together residents, farmers, government agencies and community organizations to tackle one of the state’s most persistent environmental and economic threats.

Hawaiʻi Organics Compost has begun selling locally produced compost, active mulch and custom blends from its Waikapū facility — completing a loop that starts with green waste dropped off across Central Maui and ends with finished soil products ready to go back into the ground.

A second dead coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) was found in a detection trap on Wednesday afternoon, April 8, 2026, approximately 2 miles west of Molokaʻi Airport, by staff from the Molokaʻi/Maui Invasive Species Committee (MoMISC). This is the second CRB detection on Molokaʻi. This follows the first Molokaʻi detection of a dead CRB on April 7.

A large dead insect suspected to be a coconut rhinoceros beetle was found in a trap by staff from the Molokaʻi/Maui Invasive Species Committee (MoMISC) on Tuesday morning, April 7, 2026, near Kaunakakai Harbor. Based on photographs of the specimen, it is likely a coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) and is being sent to the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity (HDAB) Plant Pest Control Branch on Oʻahu for official species confirmation. If confirmed to be CRB, this will be the first detection of CRB on Molokaʻi.

The Maui Invasive Species Committee is launching a Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle music video contest open to Maui students grade three and up; submissions due April 17, 2026.  The goal of the contest is build awareness critical to protecting Maui, where CRB has not yet established.

While coconut palms top the list of CRB’s preferred foods, endangered loulu is also on the menu. Loulu’s small crowns are easier for beetles to penetrate than those of coconut palms, which results in a higher risk of lethal damage or secondary fungal infection. Extinction is a worry.

Residents and business operators in the voluntary compliance area are asked not to transport coconut rhinoceros beetle host materials that include decomposing plant material, plant propagation material, other items comprised of decomposing organic plant material and several genera of live palm plants; order will remain in place through April 30.

The Maui Association of Landscape Professionals is offering a free online class, “Pests & Trees: Spotlight on Palm Care,” on Wednesday, Nov. 5, from 3 to 4:30 p.m.

For the past five years, Maui County has not composted or diverted green waste from the landfill. Efforts are being made to change that.

A massive fumigation removed 144 tons of potential breeding sites for the invasive coconut rhinoceros beetle, marking a significant step in preventing its establishment on Hawai‘i Island.

There have been two incidents that have been reported since May 2025 where coconut rhinoceros beetles (CRB) were detected on Lānaʻi in plants transported from Oʻahu.

To build Molokaʻi’s capacity to detect and prevent the spread of the invasive coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB), the County of Maui Department of Agriculture and CRB Response are holding a free workshop Tuesday, July 29, 2025, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at One Ali‘i Park Pavilion, Kaunakakai.

Surveys conducted last week located two breeding sites of coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) in Kona, on the west side of Hawaiʻi Island. The detection triggered the launch of a state and county interagency response effort to manage and eradicate the invasive species.