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Research and Publications

See below for a list of publications from researchers throughout the Pacific and beyond.

This symbol next to a article means it is open access. Clicking on the symbol will take you to the article. 

General Biology

Research and publications on CRB general biology such as their life cycle, host material preferences and more. 

Omotoso, O. T. (2015) Nutrient Composition, Mineral Analysis and Anti-nutrient Factors of Oryctes rhinoceros L. (Scarabaeidae: Coleoptera) and Winged Termites, Marcrotermes nigeriensis Sjostedt. (Termitidae: Isoptera). British Journal of Applied Science & Technology, 8 (1), 97-106.

Watanabe, S., Melzer, M. J. (2017). A Multiplex PCR Assay for Differentiating Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) From Oriental Flower Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Early Life Stages and Excrement, Journal of Economic Entomology, 110(2), 678–682.

Prevention

Research and publications on ways CRB can spread and tools to prevent that spread.

Fu, C., Qian, Q., Deng, X., Zhuo, Z., & Xu, D. (2024). Prediction and Analysis of the Global Suitable Habitat of the Oryctes rhinoceros (Linnaeus, 1758)(Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Based on the MaxEnt Model. Insects, 15(10), 774.

Hoffmann, B. D., Tay, W. T., & Blas, A. L. (2024). Biosecurity interceptions of coconut rhinoceros beetle Oryctes rhinoceros. Management of Biological Invasions 15(3): 437–443.

Moore, A., Quitugua, R., Iriarte, I., Melzer, M., Watanabe, S., Cheng, Z., & Barnes, J. M. (2016). Movement of packaged soil products as a dispersal pathway for coconut rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) and other invasive species. Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society, 48, 21-22.

Tay, W. T., Marshall, S. D., Popa-Baez, A. D., Dulla, G. F., Blas, A. L., Sambiran, J. W., ... & Hoffmann, B. D. (2024). Alternative DNA Markers to Detect Guam-Specific CRB-G (Clade I) Oryctes rhinoceros (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Indicate That the Beetle Did Not Disperse from Guam to the Solomon Islands or Palau. Diversity, 16(10), 634.

Cultural Control

Cultural control means changing the conditions where the pest is found to make it less hospitable for the pest. In this section, you will find publications and research on breeding material preferences and ways to treat breeding material to make it less hospitable for CRB.

Manley, M., Melzer, M. J., & Spafford, H. (2018). Oviposition preferences and behavior of wild-caught and laboratory-reared coconut rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), in relation to substrate particle size. Insects, 9(4), 141.

Moore, A., & Siderhurst, M. (2022). Proposal for detecting coconut rhinoceros beetle breeding sites using harmonic radar. Research Ideas and Outcomes, 8, e86422.

Vowell, T., Manley, M. E., Ho, J. R., Watanabe, S., & Melzer, M. J. (2023). Impact of metal salts on the survival, development, and oviposition behavior of coconut rhinoceros beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Frontiers in Insect Science, 3: 1157769.

Physical Control

Physical controls are typically barriers or traps that keep the pest away from a protected area or commodity. In this section you will find research and publications regarding traps, netting and other physical controls of CRB. 

Anoosha, V. and N. B. V. Rao (2024). Evaluation of Nylon Net for the Management of Rhinoceros Beetle in Coconut Palms in Andhra Pradesh. Innovations in Agriculture and Outreach Programs: Challenges and Opportunities. Excellent Publishing House, 167-171.

Parayavi, M., Weiser, K., Melzer, M., Crook, D., Ramadugu, C., & Jenkins, D. M. (2025). Programmable LED Array for Evaluating Artificial Light Sources to Improve Insect Trapping. Insects, 16(2), 170.

Paryavi, M., Weiser, K., Melzer, M., Ghorbani, R., & Jenkins, D. (2025). Autonomous Cellular-Networked surveillance system for coconut rhinoceros beetle. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 235, 110310.

Paudel, S., Jackson, T. A., Mansfield, S., Ero, M., Moore, A., & Marshall, S. D. (2023). Use of pheromones for monitoring and control strategies of coconut rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros): A review. Crop Protection, 174, 106400

Biological Control

Biological control is the use of other organisms to control the pest. In this section you can find research about the different types of biological control for CRB such as Oryctes nudivirus and Metarhizium. 

Hiszczynska-Sawicka, E., Weston, M. K., Laugraud, A., Hefer, C. A., Jacobs, J. M., & Marshall, S. D. (2024). Genomic identification of Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus isolates, a biocontrol agent for coconut rhinoceros beetle. Archives of Microbiology, 206(10), 417.

Manandhar, Roshan & Kellar, Mathew & Cheng, Zhiqiang. (March, 2016). Survey of entomopathogenic nematodes on Oahu: potential for the biological control of coconut rhinoceros beetle. Pacific Branch Entomological Society of America.

Nishi, O. (2024). Phylogenetic classification and physiological and ecological traits of Metarhizium spp. Mycoscience, 65(5), 235-243.

Paudel, S., Mansfield, S., Villamizar, L. F., Jackson, T. A., & Marshall, S. D. (2021). Can biological control overcome the threat from newly invasive coconut rhinoceros beetle populations (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)? A review. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 114(2), 247-256.

Villamizar, L. F., Barrera, G. P., Luange, A., Sagata, K., Gende, P., Chris, S., ... & Marshall, S. D. (2024). Characterization and screening of new Metarhizium isolates to control the coconut rhinoceros beetle in the Pacific islands. Fungal Biology, 128(7), 2127-2138.

Chemical Control

Chemical controls are the application of a toxic or repellent substance to kill or repel the pest. In this section you will find research and publications on pesticides and other chemical treatments that can be used in CRB control. 

Rafie, M. B. S. A. and S. Amit (2024). Susceptibility of Oryctes rhinoceros Beetle to Trunk-Injected Acephate and Trunk-Implanted Acephate Controlled-Release Insecticide on Tall Palms Via Petiole Bioassay. Serangga 29(2): 200-209

Ravindran, P., Subaharan, K., Venugopal, V., Chandran, K. P., Prathibha, P. S., & Sujithra, M. (2019). Essential oil in management of coconut rhinoceros beetle Oryctes rhinoceros L. Indian Journal of Entomology, 81(3), 603-608.

Ricordi, A. and Silva, J. (2023). Preliminary Trials on Use of Essential Oils for IPM of  Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle. University of Hawai‘i Cooperative Extension 

Ricordi, A., Silva J., Weiser, K., Melzer, M., & Huizingh R. (2024). Field Study to compare the effectiveness of OneGuard, Imajet10, and Nanotek2000 in preventing damage from Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle in Waipio, Oahu, Hawaii . University of Hawai‘i Cooperative Extension 

Roudhiyah, H. N., Saepuloh, A., & Wibowo, A. S. (2024, February). The use of unmanned aerial vehicle for controlling Oryctes rhinoceros beetle on Immature Oil Palm. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 1308, No. 1, p. 012042). 

Samseemoung, G., Soni, P., Janthong, M., & Promjan, W. (2024). Drone-mounted remote-controlled arm for monitoring and precision spraying coconut rhinoceros beetle infestations. Smart Agricultural Technology, 8, 100438.

Videos

Videos of presentations and symposiums regarding CRB research.​

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2024

Hawai'i Invasive Species Awareness Month

Battling the Beetle: Exploring new tools and technologies for combating CRB in Hawaii â€‹â€‹

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Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Science Symposium 2024

CRB Science Symposium 2024 Day 1: Harnessing knowledge to protect Communities and Ecosystems 

CRB Science Symposium 2024 Day 2: Harnessing knowledge to protect Communities and Ecosystems 

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2023

Hawai'i Invasive Species Awareness Month

10th year of the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle - How did we get here and where do we go?  

This page will regularly be updated. This is not a comprehensive list of CRB research. Relevant published works have been included here, and new articles and current research will be added as they become available. If you know about any interesting research or publications that is relevant to CRB in Hawaii that is not included in this list, please share it with us.

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