You found a CRB in your yard or you saw a coconut tree with those v-cuts you’ve heard about and made a report to our website. Now you’re wondering, what happens next?
The purpose and outcome of a report depends on what island and area you’re located in. Response actions are based on where your area is on what we call an invasion curve and the resources available. The invasion curve describes the different stages of an invasive species spread over time (see figure below).
The first phase on the curve is prevention. This means that the species is not introduced yet. Once the species is introduced, it moves into the second phase, eradication. When an island is in the prevention or eradication phase, all public reporting is a crucial part of the response plan. All reports in these phases will be followed up with further inspections and delimiting surveys in the area. If the report is confirmed positive, the ideal actions will be to survey and treat the high risk material in the surrounding area, also known as the buffer zone. Currently, Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi are in the prevention stage and Maui and Hawaiʻi Island are in the eradication stage.
In the third phase, containment, the species is established in certain areas of the island but is not widespread. In the containment phase, reporting is still an important part of the response and reporting of all signs of CRB is still encouraged. However, reports from established areas might be addressed differently than reports from areas where the species is not established. In non established areas, also called outliers, response to confirmed reports might be similar to the response in the eradication phase with increased surveys and treatments. This is to prevent the species from spreading and becoming established in new areas. Response to reports will largely be impacted by resources available. In the containment phase, the response will also include guidance and extended outreach in the established area. Kauaʻi are in this stage as CRB is established in Lihue and Wailua areas but only found occasionally in other areas. Please continue to report all signs of CRB on Kauaʻi.
The last phase on the invasion curve is long term control and management. This happens when the species is widespread and there are not sufficient resources to perform meaningful containment or eradication in the affected area. In this phase, reporting is not critical as most areas are already known to have established populations of beetles. Most reports will be responded to with guidance for management actions but the actual management will usually be up to the land or property owner. Oʻahu is in this stage of invasion. Most areas have some population of CRB, even though some areas have more beetles than others. Reporting on Oahu is not necessary but you can still reach out to us for help with identification and treatment guidance.
All reports, no matter what island or area they are from, will also be put into a database. This database can be referred to as metrics for research as well as policy and decision making.
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