#Maui Invasive Species Committee

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.

A single dead adult coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) was collected by the Maui Invasive Species Committee from a detection trap at Kahului Airport on the afternoon of April 1, 2026. No other CRB were detected in the other traps checked. Personnel from MISC and DAB are conducting surveys and deploying additional detection traps. Residents, businesses and landowner within a two-mile radius from Kahului Airport are asked to check coconut palms and other large palms for possible signs of CRB feeding damage.

Mālama Hāmākua Maui announced the launch of its 2026 Coqui Control Workday Series in partnership with the Maui Invasive Species Committee, beginning Tuesday, March, 31.

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.

East Maui residents can review government spending plans and environmental threats when the Haʻikū Community Association hosts its first meeting of the year from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Haʻikū Community Center. Maui County Council Members Nohelani Uʻu-Hodgins and Shane Sinenci are scheduled to attend. Uʻu-Hodgins holds the Makawao-Haʻikū-Pāʻia residency area seat, and […]

The Kula Community Association invites community members to attend its General Meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, featuring timely updates on invasive species, water quality, watershed restoration, and East Maui water management. The meeting is open to the public and will be held in the evening, beginning with food and informal conversation.

Mālama Hāmākua Maui has announced its 2026 schedule of community events, featuring a new series of conservation workshops and volunteer opportunities at Hāmākualoa Kūlaiwi off Hahana Road. The nonprofit organization is introducing a Kilo Workshop Series in partnership with the Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program. The quarterly sessions are scheduled for Jan. 31, April […]

The Haʻikū Community Association has announced it will host its last meeting of 2025 on Wednesday, Nov. 12, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Haʻikū Community Center.

On Maui, 75% of LFA detections come from community reports, proving that the watchfulness of residents is paying off. As LFA populations continue to grow across the state, the attentiveness of residents remains a critical component in preventing the establishment of little fire ants on Maui.

Since 2003, this collaborative partnership has presented the annual Mālama i ka ʻĀina Award to landscapers, plant providers (including retail and wholesale nurseries and garden shops), or commercial/agricultural property owners and managers who demonstrate dedication to keeping invasive species out of Maui County.

In 2018, an invertebrate biologist discovered an unfamiliar black caterpillar feeding on a māmaki plant in Olowalu Valley. Experts confirmed the caterpillar was ramie moth, a species native to Southeast Asia that aggressively feeds on plants in the nettle family, like māmaki. The biologist’s sighting marked the first confirmation of ramie moth in Hawaiʻi and the US.

Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD) was detected in three landscaped ʻōhiʻa trees in Central Maui in February. ROD is a fungal disease that can kill a healthy ʻōhiʻa tree. First identified in Puna in 2014, the disease has since devastated thousands of acres of forest on Hawaiʻi Island, wiping out over a million trees.

Friends of Twin Falls is inviting Hawaiʻi residents to a special Kamaʻāina Exclusive event on Saturday, July 5, at Wailele Farms—commonly known as Twin Falls.

Nā Koa Manu Conservation announced a new strategic partnership with the Maui Invasive Species Committee, a respected leader in the protection of native Hawaiian ecosystems from the devastating impacts of invasive species.

Removing black wattle is important to fire mitigation in Kula because the invasive species burns fast and it chokes out more fire-resistant native species.

May is Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Awareness Month.

Agriculture and wildlife officials are raising concerns after a red-vented bulbul was spotted near Kāʻanapali, Maui. This high-priority invasive pest appears on the Hawaiʻi Injurious Species list and the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Top 100 Invasive Species list. The bird poses a serious threat to Maui’s agriculture as well as native ecosystems, according to the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

The Kula Community Watershed Alliance invites the public to its next Community Conversation on Thursday, March 6, at 6 p.m. via Zoom, featuring a presentation on Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death by Lissa Strohecker, public relations and education specialist at the Maui Invasive Species Committee.