Committee supports rules to protect Molokai from beetle
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Despite some resistance, a state advisory committee on Monday recommended readopting an interim rule banning the importation of materials to Molokai, such as green waste and gravel, that might carry the coconut rhinoceros beetle.
At the request of Niu Now Molokai, a group dedicated to preserving coconut palms, the state Committee on Plants and Animals also added a ban on importing coconuts due to the invasive species.
"I'm really happy we have good support and people with good common sense," said Kunani Nihipali, a leader of Niu Now Molokai.
A similar ban expired Sept. 23 after the state Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity failed to reach a quorum.
The committee's recommendation now goes to board Chair Sharon Hurd.
The decision follows a dispute between the state Plant Quarantine Branch and some Molokai residents about readopting the same interim rule established a year ago.
Branch manager Jonathan Ho hoped the ban on importing gravel would be lifted because he regarded gravel as a nonhost, inorganic material similar to sand and rocks that does not typically pose a breeding risk or harbor the beetle.
The board passed an amendment earlier this year to allow a single shipment of gravel to maintain the roads at Kalaupapa National Historical Park, located on a peninsula on Molokai.
Molokai residents led by Niu Now Molokai have opposed allowing gravel to be imported to the island, saying it still poses a threat.
Niu Now Molokai officials said there's no way department staff can guarantee that imported gravel will be free of coconut rhinoceros beetles and other invasive species.
"They're trying to make too many pukas (holes) in this situation," said Ipo Nihipali, another leader of Niu Now Molokai.
The state Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Maui County Council Member Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, activist Walter Ritte and the Sierra Club of Hawaii testified in support of Niu Now Molokai's position.
Sierra Club executive director Wayne Tanaka said he's grateful the advisory committee listened to the community.
"Molokai is one of the few places without CRB and it's critical to keep it that way," Tanaka said.
CRB Action Kauai founder Merlyn Ruddell urged the committee to pass the Molokai interim rule with no broad gravel exemptions.
"Gravel isn't the problem. It's what can travel with it -- CRB eggs and larvae," she said. "That's why requiring gravel permits and review is so important."
Molokai faces increasing threat
Tanaka said Molokai is more vulnerable than many other Hawaiian Islands because it doesn't have the same kind of support to deal with invasive species.
A bill to establish a plant quarantine facility and staff on Molokai died at the state Legislature earlier this year, despite testimony from 75 people in its favor and no opposition.
Tanaka said under the proposed new interim rule, an applicant who wants to ship gravel to Molokai would be required to undergo a public hearing before the board, where the public could ask questions about the location and source of the gravel and the methods used to scrape it from the ground and store it.
"The beetles like to fly around at night," Tanaka said. "Then, you know, before the sun comes up, they crawl on stuff to hide out. It could stow away easily. They can come in all different kinds of ways."
He added that Molokai wants to be more protective because the island has the most to lose in terms of food security, cultural practices, lifestyle and economies.
"It doesn't make any sense to loosen the protections by allowing for huge amounts of gravel to be shipped behind the scenes," Tanaka said.
The state House Committee on Agriculture and Biosecurity noted this year that Molokai does not have a plant quarantine or inspection facility or dedicated staff on the island, making the island "highly vulnerable to invasive species."
CRB stakes high on Molokai
Many Native Hawaiians say there's more at stake than coconut trees. In other places, the coconut rhinoceros beetle has attacked other plants that are an integral part of their culture, including lauhala, taro and the endangered Hawaiian loulu palms.
Less than two miles from Molokai's main town of Kaunakakai is the historic Kapuaiwa Coconut Grove, planted in the 1860s by King Kamehameha V with 1,000 coconut trees. The grove is listed as endangered by Historic Hawaii Foundation.
Niu Now Molokai said a wide variety of Hawaiian coconuts grow on Molokai and the island has become a seed bank for other islands.
State agriculture officials lose ground
State agricultural officials have been losing ground to the coconut rhinoceros beetle since it first appeared in Hawaii nearly 13 years ago.
Officials have abandoned attempts to eradicate the beetle on Oahu and shifted to trying to contain it.
Meanwhile, major infestations have occurred in various areas of Kauai. Active breeding sites in West Hawaii have been treated in the Kona and Waikoloa areas.
The first island sightings of the coconut rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros, began on Oahu in 2013. Molokai was the latest island to record a detection, in April 2026. No active breeding sites have been found on Maui, Molokai or Lanai.
In December 2013, the first coconut rhinoceros beetle in Hawaii was detected in a trap at a golf course near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and Honolulu International Airport. It was suspected to have come from an infested Pacific island such as Guam, American Samoa or Palau.
In May and June 2023, two adult beetles were captured in traps near Lihue Airport and a transfer station on Kauai, marking the first confirmed detection outside Oahu. The green waste facility was shut down to contain the threat.
In October 2023, CRB was detected in a decaying palm stump in Waikoloa on Hawaii island.
From September to November 2023, a single dead adult beetle was found in a commercial compost bag in Kahului. In Kihei, agricultural officials found 17 larvae in a dead coconut palm.
In May 2025, CRB larvae in potted plants from Oahu were found by land management company Pūlama Lāna'i.
From April 7 to 13, 2026, three dead adult beetles were retrieved from traps at Kaunakakai Harbor, Molokai Airport and along Maunaloa Highway.
CRB research continues
The beetles destroy the central point of a palm, where new growth begins. Scientists say they can fly up to two miles in search of food.
While coconut and other palm trees may look healthy after being attacked by the beetle, they're often hollow and can pose a public hazard, state agricultural officials said.
Various methods to detect and treat infested coconut trees have been tried.
In 2019, the state Agriculture Department added three detection dogs and their handlers to the team. The dogs help field crews, who until then had dug through potential breeding material by hand.
Researchers tried treating palms with imidacloprid and acephate in 2020. While the injections were effective in killing CRB, they also rendered the fruit toxic.
A vacuum steam unit was introduced in 2021 to heat infested materials to a temperature fatal to CRB, but it proved too labor-intensive.
In 2022, researchers looked at fumigating the trees with sulfuryl fluoride but found it caused tissue death and killed the trees.
Steps to reduce CRB
To reduce the chance of contamination, the Maui Invasive Species Committee encourages residents to buy landscaping materials and plants locally rather than importing them from Oahu or other areas where CRB is widespread.
The committee also encourages residents to know the signs of CRB and report them.
CRB larvae are large, C-shaped grubs with soft, white bodies about 3 to 4 inches long.
The beetle makes a V-shaped cut pattern or symmetrical wedge-shaped notches on palm leaves. In fan palms, it makes a snowflake-like pattern of holes.
To report a coconut rhinoceros beetle sighting, call the state pest hotline at 808-643-7378 or visit crbhawaii.org.