Humvees, generators, rations, cots, and more are destined for a location in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, where the U.S. territory of Guam, a distant island in the western Pacific, workers at Andersen Air Force Base (AAFB) are offloading military equipment from a C-130 Hercules aircraft. The rhino beetles like decaying plant matter, so Guam researchers recommend keeping the tops of coconut trees clear of dead fronds and other debris to deter the bugs. Palm trees that are manicured to remove dead fronds and other detritus are much less likely to harbor breeding coconut rhinoceros beetles.CEMML employee Donatus Somol inspects a military vehicle arriving on Guam for plants, insects, animals, and all other visible biomaterials. In their homeland, the rhino beetles have a variety of predators, including a fungus and a virus, to keep their numbers in check. The beetles are native to Southeast Asia, according to the O'ahu Invasive Species Committee, which keeps track of animals and insects threatening that island's ecosystem. On other islands, rats and birds feed on larvae found in the tree crowns. The research team attributes this to the loss of birds and rats because of the brown tree snake infestation. “Although arboreal breeding of (coconut rhinoceros beetle) larvae has been reported in the literature, the occurrence of this phenomenon on Guam is much higher than elsewhere,” said Roland Quitugua, the project's director. The results of the study showed that all life stages of the beetle - egg, larva, pupa and adult - were found in the crowns of 10 of 26 coconut trees. Moore and the Guam Coconut Rhinoceros Eradication Project team decided to investigate what was happening in the crowns of coconut trees in Tumon, Guam. “Although we had found (coconut rhinoceros beetle) eggs and larvae in the crowns of coconut trees, we thought this rarely happened.” said Aubrey Moore, a University of Guam extension entomologist. Once sanitation was accomplished, the team noticed no significant decrease in beetles found in traps around the area, which they found puzzling. In an attempt to eradicate the beetle, the coconut rhinoceros beetle research team focused on sanitation to cleanse possible breeding sites of decaying matter, according to a release from the University of Guam. ![]() Not only do infested trees produce fewer coconuts but the trees also can die. The adult beetles damage coconut and other palm trees by boring into the tops of the trees where they injure young, growing plant material and feed on sap. ![]() It has since spread throughout the island. The coconut rhinoceros beetle, which is about 2 inches long, was first discovered in Guam in 2007 in Tumon Bay. The Guam coconut rhinoceros beetle research team at the University of Guam documented some disturbing and unusual behavior, which was published in the September issue of Florida Entomologist. MANGILAO, Guam - One of this island’s most notorious invasive species apparently is helping another, researchers say.Ī recent study shows that a lack of birds and rats - because of the brown tree snake inadvertently brought to Guam in the late 1940s or early 1950s - is making it easier for rhino beetles to breed in the crowns of coconut trees, something that usually doesn’t happen.
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