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Guam coconut rhinoceros beetle11/28/2023 ![]() CRB escape tests have shown that the size of the hole and monofilament diameter in the right combination catch CRB. Similarly, CRB become caught when the net gets tangled behind the prothorax, hence the name tekken trap. Tekken, or gill nets, are made from nylon monofilament and designed to catch fish when the monofilament drops into gill slits. When they asked local fishermen for net samples, they were pleasantly surprised to learn that at least two of them, Johnny "Atulai" Taitano and Frank Cushing, were already using pieces of small gill nets known as tekken to cover compost piles on their properties in an attempt to prevent CRB from attacking their trees. Upon return to Guam, Quitugua and Moore started measuring escape rates through different types of nets. The holes in the bird netting were too large. Unfortunately, direct observation showed that many beetles were able to pass through the net. In an attempt to prevent adult CRB from leaving the breeding site, the organic matter pile was covered with bird netting as a physical barrier. ![]() In January 2014 USDA assembled a rapid response team on Oahu and invited Roland Quitugua, UOG extension agent and Moore to participate in an eradication planning meeting as "subject matter experts". It is interesting to note that this breeding site was discovered by Guam native Wilfred Leon Guerrero, a plant protection quarantine officer with the Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Subsequently, a very large and active breeding site consisting of coconut green waste was found. In December 2013 a rhino beetle infestation on Oahu, Hawaii was detected when a beetle was caught in a pheromone trap on a golf course at Hickam Air Force Base. In an active breeding site one finds adults and large numbers of grubs, which do not damage trees, but rather accelerate the decomposition process by feeding on dead plant material. CRB breed in piles of decaying organic matter. Control efforts shifted to sanitation: finding and destroying CRB breeding sites where 90 percent of the CRB population is found. Unfortunately, the mass trapping was ineffective in preventing the spread of the beetles.Īfter about a year, the project gave up on using traps for population suppression, but still maintained a network of pheromone traps throughout Guam for detection and monitoring. The Guam CRB Eradication Project built hundreds of pheromone traps and deployed these throughout Tumon and Faifai. CRB adults fly just after sunset and are attracted to a commercially available aggregation lure hung in a hole near the center of the vanes," said Aubrey Moore, UOG extension entomologist. The standard CRB pheromone trap is a 5 gallon plastic bucket fitted with plastic vanes and lure. ![]() ![]() "We were led to believe that we could trap all beetles using pheromone traps. Trees are damaged and sometimes killed when adult beetles bore into crowns to feed on sap.īased on a delimiting survey that found CRB only in a small area around Tumon Bay and Faifai Beach areas, it was decided to attempt eradication of the beetle from the island before it spread further. The coconut rhinoceros beetle, (CRB) discovered on Guam on September 11, 2007, is a serious pest to coconut and other palms. ![]()
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