COCONUT
RHINOCEROS
BEETLE
RESPONSE
THE CRB RESPONSE
The Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB) Response was established as an emergency response under the incident command system (ICS) after CRB was first detected on Oahu in 2013. We are a grant-funded organization managed through the University of Hawaii and hiring is done through the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii. Funding comes primarily from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of Defense (DOD), and Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). We provide education, awareness, detection, prevention, and treatments to protect Hawaii's communities, industries, and natural environment from the threats and impacts of CRB.
OUR WORK
Our program is primarily funded to manage populations near ports on Oahu and around high-risk commodities being shipped to other islands. We are also funded to respond to new populations outside Oahu where establishment may be prevented and to share information and promote awareness across the State.
Our field crew services approximately 1800 CRB traps across Oahu to track risks for export, track efficacy of treatments, and collect data that can be used for research. Our crews also survey for breeding sites, record palm damage, and treat palms near ports on Oahu. Our canines, Bravo and Penny, are trained to sniff out CRB. Along with their handlers, their work helps us to identify breeding sites near our ports and in commodities that may be shipped off Oahu. Our outreach team provides information to the public and professionals while supporting our community response efforts across the State. Our data team organizes, stores, and analyzes information from traps, breeding site surveys, and palm damage for reports and publications.
We collaborate with several partners including USDA, Hawaii Department of Agriculture, DLNR, invasive species committees, UH extension programs, stakeholders, and landowners. Collaboration is critical because the CRB Response does not have the authority to quarantine, make or enforce rules, or perform treatments without landowner authorization. We are based on Oahu and we have limited capacity to inspect, treat, and perform outreach on other islands. Travel off Oahu is limited so we rely on partners like the invasive species committees and HDOA for outreach, surveys, and reports on other islands. The CRB Response is not funded to perform research but we work closely with researchers at the University of Hawai'i who investigate new control methods and we continually update our practices to reflect the latest research.
