In the meantime, Oishi underscored the importance of community vigilance, including being careful with compost and reporting sightings of the critters. Oishi has estimated the price tag for much-needed infrastructure and research is $5 million. (David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023)īut lawmakers are now considering House Bill 1149, which would provide a hike in core funding for the program, along with more than 10 positions dedicated to controlling the insects. Traps have been set all over Oahu by the University of Hawaii and the Department of Agriculture. The diminutive trees could be a way to easier manage the persistent threat of the coconut rhinoceros beetle, but also raise the question of whether Hawaii is willing to invest in actually eradicating the invader. But having a low stature of tree, where you can get to the crown, it’s much easier than having a tall tree where you can’t see what’s going on,” Shepard said. That is unless something like the beetle comes along with the potential to decimate his crop. “They’re pretty much pest resistant and the coconuts can turn brown, fall off and sit there for months and then you put in mulch and let it sprout,” Shepard said in an interview. They require far less work than their taller counterparts and demand for them is increasing.
He sells them by the pallet - 700 sprouted nuts were sent to Mahi Pono on Maui. When mature, each of his 350 trees can produce 250 nuts per year, which Shepard sprouts and sells around the island chain. One such farmer is Griffin Shepard, who runs Aloha Organics dwarf coconut tree farm on Kauai’s northwest coast. (David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023) Think Small And Prosperįarmers across the islands are keeping a close watch on Oahu’s beetle problem and potential solutions. Aloha Organics Dwarf Coconut Tree Farm has three varieties of low-bearing coconut trees, which it sells its sprouted seeds from.
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