Blog — Page 7 — Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC)

Backyard efforts help protect Hawai’i

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Lissa Strohecker

With stay-at-home orders in place, many of us are stretching our legs with a walk around the yard or neighborhood, perhaps seeing things with different eyes. Even if you are only in the backyard or on the lanai, now is an ideal time to explore and ask questions about the plants and animals that surround you.

Investigating surrounding sights and sounds can enhance your connection to the amazing place we call home. The simple exercise of paying attention to the call of a bird or identifying the plant growing at the edge of the yard or along the road can provide a respite from current stresses and anxieties. And it helps our environment.

Early detection – finding a plant or animal before it becomes widespread – is a key step in addressing invasive species. You don’t have to be a degree-holding botanist or entomologist to find these pests. Noticing what is different and asking questions can turn you into a backyard sleuth.

Many online resources can guide your inquiry. These activities can also become outdoor lessons if you happen to be sequestered with keiki. Some suggestions:

Do an ant survey. Early detection of little fire ants is critical to preventing our islands from becoming overrun with this pest. All you need is 45 minutes (mostly spent waiting for the ants to arrive) and (not much) peanut butter. Samples can be sent through the mail. Find a video online at more information at stoptheant.org.
Send the kids outside. If you have keiki, send them on a scavenger hunt to find plants and animals using Seek, an app by the website iNaturalist. Suitable for beginners young and old, Seek has image recognition software that can suggest species identifications.
Start with what interests you most. iNaturalist is a good overall resource. Accessible online (inaturlist.org) and as an app, this online community of citizen scientists and naturalists collaborates on species identifications for plants, animals, mushrooms, spiders, and more.
Get to know your backyard birds. If feathered friends fascinate you, check out eBird online (ebird.org) and the affiliated Merlin Bird ID app. You can find out what species are in your area. This citizen-science website is run by the experts at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and illustrated checklists and bird song recordings help you learn the birds of your backyard. Another Hawaiʻi-specific resource for bird song recordings is soundshawaiian.com
Turn over rocks. The Hawaiian Entomological Society has an excellent Facebook page where experts help the less entomologically oriented identify the strange 6-legged, 8-legged, and occasionally legless critters of our islands. Pay close attention to requirements about posting.
Test your plant knowledge. If you have some existing knowledge of plants, check your identifications against the Starr Environmental website (starrenvironmental.com). Organized by plant family, genus, and species, their thousands of photos can help you compare plant families and verify species identifications. The Hawaiʻi Plant ID group on Flickr allows you to submit a photo if you are still stumped.
Report pests: For observations from anywhere in the state, you can report plants or animals you suspect may be invasive. Find the pest reporting platform online and as an app: 643PEST.org

Backyard birders can find support online. Photo of a Red-billed leiothrix by Forest and Kim Starr

Becoming knowledgeable about the plants and animals in your own backyard or neighborhood is an important first step. Ask questions, seek advice, and test for questionable species. These actions can make a huge difference in slowing or stopping the spread of invasive species.

Even in these uncertain times, you can stay safe, stay home, and help protect the world around you.

Lissa Strohecker is the public relations and education specialist for the Maui Invasive Species Committee. She holds a biological sciences degree from Montana State University. Kia’i Moku, “Guarding the Island,” is prepared by the Maui Invasive Species Committee to provide information on protecting the island from invasive plants and animals that can threaten the island’s environment, economy, and quality of life.

This article was originally published in the Maui News on April 11, 2020 as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Read more Kiaʻi Moku articles

Safe biological controls rely on specialized species

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Lissa Strohecker

Living creatures can be grouped as specialists or generalists based on their strategies for finding food and habitat: generalists thrive in a variety of conditions and eat a range of foods; specialists rely on a particular environmental condition or a food type. For example, specialist species like koalas only eat eucalyptus leaves, Kamehameha caterpillars rely on māmaki, and our iconic ʻāhinahina (silverswords) are found only in high-elevation alpine environments in Hawaiʻi.

When researchers look for a biological control agent – another living species that can be used to reduce a pest – they look for specialist species. This is part of an approach that began over 40 years ago with the goal of reducing unintended impacts. It works. Since 1975, over 50 different biological control agents have been brought into Hawaiʻi. “There have been no unpredicted non-target impacts in that time,” says Darcy Oishi, the Biological Control Section Chief at the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture. He oversees the efforts to find, test, and release biological control in Hawaiʻi.

“We worry most about specificity,” says Oishi. Host-specificity, the relationship between the pest and the natural enemy, is the creed of modern biological control. By seeking out species that have evolved to be dependent on the target host, there is less risk that the natural enemy will have unintended consequences.

Wiliwili are endemic to the Hawaii Islands and are a keystone species in the dryland forest. Photo courtesy of Forest and Kim Starr

As new pests arrive in Hawaiʻi (and sometimes even before), the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture compiles lists of possible natural enemies, specialist species that could act to lessen the invasiveness and impacts of the pest in Hawaiʻi. Scientists comb through the scientific literature, call and visit natural history museums, and consult with entomologists and researchers worldwide, learning what species live in close association with the pest in its native habitat.

Exploratory entomologists then travel to the pest’s native range to collect candidates. Each potential natural enemy is studied further in its host range. After ruling out potential candidates, entomologists collect several species for additional testing.

Back in Hawaiʻi, the biological control agents are quarantined, raised and tested again for host specificity. In a process called no-choice testing, a potential agent is evaluated throughout its life stages to see if It will eat species it is likely to encounter in Hawaiʻi. For example, in introducing a biocontrol for a plant, the agent is isolated with other non-target plants to find out whether any unintended plants could be affected.

Researchers evaluate host specificity by looking at genetically related species as well as unrelated species that evolved similar characteristics to the target. For example, pasture-invading fireweed is in the aster family, but the phytoalkaloid – the toxic chemical that sickens animals – is what attracts one natural enemy, a caterpillar, to the plant. The caterpillar is tested to see if it can feed on related plants in the Aster family as well as those containing a similar toxic chemical.

Fireweed, *Senecio madagascarensis,* is a pasture invading pest that contains a chemical poisonous to horses and cattle. Photo by Forest and Kim Starr.

Until the 1970s, biocontrol agents were selected primarily based on the impact they would have on the pest, an approach that has unfortunately biased people against biological control today. Since then, though, rigorous selection and testing has gone into preventing unintended consequence. Another challenge is caused by misinformation; some invasive pests are inaccurately equated with biological control. For example, ʻōhiʻa rust, a leaf fungus that threatens our native ʻōhiʻa, decimated populations of rose apple, leading some to inaccurately assume it was an intentional introduction; instead, it was another of the thousands of unwanted pests that arrive in Hawaiʻi accidentally.

Modern biological control provides long-term, cost-effective, environmentally safe control of invasive species. It’s an essential tool in protecting Hawaiʻi from the impacts of widespread invasive species. Biological control does not eradicate a pest; it balances the equation to lessen the harm. The biological control for prickly pear cactus hasn’t eradicated it; the plant is still here, but instead of blanketing upcountry pastures it occurs in patches. Biological control saved the wiliwili trees of Hawaiʻi from decimation by a leaf gall wasp. The problem-causing wasp is still here but does less damage with the biological controls working to keep it contained.

Take time to learn more about biological control in Hawaiʻi and contribute to the decision-making process. Visit the Department of Land and Natural Resources biological control page at https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/info/biocontrol/

This article was originally published in the Maui News on May 9, 2020 as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Read more Kiaʻi Moku articles

Stopping both global pandemics and biological invasions requires flattening curves.

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Lissa Strohecker

In 2002, an unusually large and strange-looking chameleon turned up in a remote area of West Maui. The resulting media attention led to the detection of a population of the same species in Makawao. These lizards weren’t the familiar Jackson’s chameleons but a new and different species: veiled chameleons. These invaders, illegally introduced to Hawaiʻi posed a threat to our endemic forest birds and snails. Staff from the Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC), Hawai’i Department of Agriculture and Department of Land and Natural Resources launched nighttime surveys, scouring the vegetation in the backyards of Makawao looking for these cryptic reptiles.

Veiled chameleons pose a risk to native birds in Hawaii. Thanks to community reports, these tree-dwelling arboreal predators were detected early and have efforts to eradicate them have proven effective. “Veileds” can be recognized by the shark-fin shaped casque on their head. MISC file photo.

During initial searches, the teams found chameleons quickly: they were distinctive, larger than their horned cousins and sporting a “shark fin” head, and clung to tree branches as they slept. The community helped by allowing searchers into their backyards and finding and turning in chameleons themselves.

In 2003, search crews and residents captured a total of 102 lizards, but over time, the numbers steadily declined. From multiple chameleons per night, searchers started to find only one or two per week. Then came months when crews came back from a week of searching without seeing a single chameleon. Searchers counted Jackson’s chameleons to stay focused on their task. As numbers continued to drop, the time between searches increased. The last capture was in 2008. In 2012, after a final search and outreach to the community, the agencies agreed: veiled chameleons had been eradicated from all known locations on Maui. Addressing the threat early, with community cooperation, prevented this species’ spread into new areas, including higher-elevation rainforests, the last habitat for our native birds and snails.

Both the language and processes used to stop an invasive species before it becomes widespread mirror the terms used to address a contagious and serious disease outbreak. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread worldwide and governments implemented social distancing measures, Jane Mangold, an invasive plant specialist at Montana State University, considered the similarities:

“One of the most obvious parallels is the importance of prevention, early detection, and rapid response. ‘Flattening the curve’ has been stated repeatedly by experts keeping us informed about the pandemic; the rationale behind this phrase is that by slowing the spread of the disease, medical providers will have more time and resources to treat those in need, and ultimately save more lives,” Mangold said.

Initially, reducing the spread of the chameleons was costly: routinely searching every few weeks to find chameleons faster than they could spread. So too for COVID-19, after months of social distancing and substantial economic impacts, the number of new cases has dropped and the curve has flattened. There are other parallels between controlling the spread of human disease and pests.

Addressing biological invasions early prevents later impacts.

Those last few chameleons were likely the most time-consuming and expensive to remove, but if crews hadn’t captured them, the population could have rebounded. Working past the frustration and searcher fatigue to find the few remaining individuals was critical to achieving eradication. While eliminating a small population of lizards is not readily comparable to addressing and suppressing a global health pandemic, similar elements lead to success: widespread cooperation, diligence, and commitment to seeing the effort through the long tail of the curve a resolution. And, of course, for both the chameleon and COVID-19, local reintroduction remains a possibility.

We can all do our part to maintain vigilance. And if you happen to see a strange chameleon with a shark-fin on its head while you are at home, report it to MISC at 573-6472 or through 643PEST.org. Anyone can turn in veiled chameleons and other illegally owned reptiles through the state Department of Agriculture’s amnesty program.

Learn more about the veiled chameleon at dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/info/invasive-species-profiles/veiled-chameleon/.

This article was originally published in the Maui News on June 13, 2020 as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Read more Kiaʻi Moku articles

Native plant firebreaks may be a tool to control wildfires

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Lissa Strohecker

A few hundred feet from the traffic of North Kīhei road, native dragonflies swoop and dive, snatching their food mid-flight. The endangered aeʻo (Hawaiian stilt) and ʻalae keʻokeʻo (Hawaiian coot) probe the mud and vegetation for small shrimp while an ʻaukuʻu (black-crowned night heron) stalks fish for dinner. The coastal strand, salt marsh, and wetlands at Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge are thriving, thanks to the hard work of dedicated staff and volunteers who remove invasive plants, fence out feral animals, and plant native species in this 700-acre refuge. But decades of protection and restoration efforts almost disappeared in a puff of smoke.

In July 2019, 25,000 acres of central Maui burned in a series of brushfires that shut down roads and isolated communities as firefighters and helicopters worked through the night to put out the blaze. The flames burned right up to the edge of the Refuge, singeing trees.

Fire poses one of the greatest threats to restoration projects, particularly in dry, arid environments like South Maui. Hawaiian ecosystems and native flora are not adapted to fires – which are mostly human-caused. Invasive plants, such as fountain grass (Cenchrus setaceum), can fuel fire cycles by growing quickly and leaving behind piles of dry biomass, then germinating rapidly after a wildfire. Nonnative buffel grass and red top natal grass serve as kindling on Maui. With global warming, drought periods are predicted to become more common, fostering the conditions in which fires start and spread.

Fountain grass, a fire-adapted invader, fuels wildfires. Planting bands of native species that are resistant to a fountain grass invasion can help mitigate wildfires. Photo by Forest and Kim Starr.

Researchers are testing strategies in Hawaiʻi to limit the spread of wildfires in areas dominated by fire-promoting grasses. Green fire breaks – strategically planted strips of vegetation — have been effectively used in the continental U.S. as a complement to traditional firefighting methods. Water-rich and inflammable plants can help deprive wildfires of fuel, while also serving as habitat for other native species and a seed source for restoration projects.

“Greenstrips planted with natives can give added value to conservation areas,” explains Susan Cordell, a research ecologist with the US Forest Service and director of the Pacific Fire Exchange, is exploring how this technique can be used in Hawaiʻi with some of the native plant species used in dryland restoration. She evaluated several different species for their flammability and resistance to invasion – looking for ones that won’t allow fire-promoting grasses like fountain grass to take over. Her findings are offering restoration programs a host of options for the use of green fire-breaks.

ʻĀweoweo (Chenopodium oahuensis), a low-growing shrubby plant with a high-water content, stood out for its lack of flammability and resistance to invasion from fountain grass. The small glossy-leaved naio (Myoporum sandwicense) was also a contender due to its inflammability

“This isn’t a silver bullet,” cautions Cordell. “It’s just one tool in the tool-box.”

Bands of native shrubs could add a protective ring around the birds and their habitat at Keālia Ponds.

On Hawaii Island, Cordell and her team evaluated native plants’ suitability for use as a firebreak based on their resistance to invasion and lack of flammability. Photo courtesy of Susan Cordell.

Expand your knowledge about wildfires in the Hawaiian Islands: www.pacificfireexchange.org/hawaii. Learn more about Keālia Ponds National Wildlife Refuge: www.fws.gov/refuge/Kealia_Pond/.

Explore volunteer opportunities on the Refuge by contacting Keālia Pond NWR Visitor Services Manager, Courtney Brown at courtney_brown@fws.gov.

This article was originally published in the Maui News on July 11, 2020 as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Read more Kiaʻi Moku articles

Rats triggered changes in the environment of Hawai’i prior to humans settlement

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Lissa Strohecker

Lo’ulu palms, like these pictured in the Kahanu Garden in Hāna, Maui, once lined the coast and sheltered understory plants in arid, windswept plains. Photo by Forest and Kim Starr

Palm trees and Hawaiʻi go together like fish and poi, right? Kind of. The coconut palms that line the beaches throughout the state are iconic, but are actually relative newcomers to the islands – one of the “canoe plants” brought to the islands by Polynesians. The only palms native to Hawaiʻi belong to the genus Pritcharidia. They won the sea-current lottery, arriving from the eastern Pacific near the Cook Islands and Tonga some 3.5 to 8 million years ago. Over time, the extreme isolation of the island chain led to the evolution of 23 to 27 endemic species, found only in the islands.

The first Polynesian voyagers arrived to find loʻulu groves lining the coastlines. These palms grew farther inland as well – in the wet rain forests, across wind-swept plains, and on arid leeward slopes. But within a single generation of the first humans, the loʻulu were mostly gone. To better understand when and why they vanished, scientists have peered underfoot, analyzing what was once wind-borne pollen.

The distinctive shape of a grain of pollen gives clues to its ancestry. The hard walls of pollen help preserve it in the fossil record. By examining layers of pollen deposited over time, scientists can better understand what plants formerly grew in an area.

In the late 1990s, researchers collected and analyzed soil samples from Oʻahu’s ʻEwa Plain, west of Pearl Harbor, to better understand the ecological history of the area. The ʻEwa Plain is arid and isolated from stream flow, providing a stable environment in which dirt and debris, including pollen and bones, accumulated over millions of years. The researchers were especially focused on evaporate ponds — areas where water collects after rainfall, then evaporates – and a sinkhole. Both are places with little disturbance that offer excellent conditions for soil sampling; sinkholes act as vaults for the bones of animals that fall in.

Huelo Islet off the coast of Molokaʻi is one of the few places in Hawaiʻi free of invasive rats. Loulu palms thrive there as they once did when humans first arrived in Hawaii. — FOREST and KIM STARR photo

From these collections of soil, pollen, and animal bones, the researchers read the story of the ʻEwa Plain. At one time, loʻulu stood tall, shrubby ʻaʻaliʻi and other plants formed the subcanopy. Huge, flightless moa nalo – goose-like ducks – and other land and seabirds had populated the area. The layers then reveal a plot twist – a sudden and dramatic decline in the loʻulu populations and the coincident arrival of a new character – the Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans) – their bones making a timestamp in the sinkholes. Other flowering plants, such as the low-growing ʻāweoweo, became dominant around the same time and bird populations plummeted. Only after the loʻulu population had collapsed do humans arrive in the area – as shown by deposits of charcoal. Rats, initially brought by people, spread across the landscape faster than the humans that introduced them. Early habitat alteration – the use of fire to encourage growth of grasslands for example – likely impacted loʻulu and native animals, but research findings from the ʻEwa Plain has led researchers to conclude that invasive rats likely catalyzed changes in vegetation that led to the initial decline in bird populations.

Today, loʻulu are still present but scattered, found in very low numbers. A mature loʻulu, one of the taller species, stands out – a distinctive marker in the forest. Cultivating palms in landscape settings may be possible by protecting protein-rich seeds from rats, but in the wild, species of loʻulu are increasingly rare and even endangered. The Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources has designated seven palm species for protection through the Plant Extinction Prevention Program. Placement on the list means fewer than 50 individual plants remain in the wild. Offshore islets such as Huelo Islet on the North shore of Molokai offer a glimpse into the past, where loʻulu palms thrive on rodent-free islands. Conservation efforts in other countries have successfully eradicated invasive rats from islands to protect the native species that live there. New Zealand has set a goal of removing rodent predators entirely by 2050. There are efforts in Hawai’i to protect offshore islets and their rare plants and animals. Learn more about them at https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/removerats/

This article was originally published in the Maui News on August 8, 2020 as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Read more Kiaʻi Moku articles

Quantifying miconia’s impacts; big leaves mean big water drops and high levels of erosion

Posted on March 17, 2021 by Lissa Strohecker

Miconia escaped cultivation to spread throughout East Maui. Containment rather than eradication is the goal for this invasive species on Maui and crews protect upper elevation watersheds by removing plants they find as they hike through the forest. MISC file photo.

On most weekdays, on the slopes and gulches above and below the Hāna Highway, a crew is hacking its way through the forest, spread out in a sweep line. They make slow progress through a mix of non-native and invasive plants: bamboo, inkberry, guava, and white ginger proliferate in this low-elevation forest. Somewhere in the midst of these forests is miconia, another non-native invader. The Hāna-based crew from the Maui Invasive Species Committee is here to find miconia and pull it from the ground.

Miconia may be found across a broad swath of the East Maui Watershed, from Kīpahulu to Huelo, but not as a continuous infestation. Dense pockets occur, especially in the area above Hāna town and in parts of Nāhiku, but elsewhere it’s patchy, thanks to decades of work to suppress and contain the infestation.

Large miconia leaves act as umbrellas, shading out sunlight. MISC file photo

Miconia should be an understory plant, as it is in the dark subcanopy of South Central American jungles of its native range. But in Hawaiʻi, open-canopy forests and the absence of significant “natural enemies” allow miconia to become the dominant plant. Invasive plants don’t just crowd out native plants and diminish habitat for native animals; they also can alter the landscape and ecosystem processes. A 2013 study on Hawaiʻi Island, by Kazuki Nanko of the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute in Japan and University of Hawaiʻi professor Thomas Giambelluca, set out to dig a bit deeper into how miconia affects the ‘aina.

The team examined what happens on the forest floor when miconia takes over. Miconia’s leaves are huge – up to three feet long by two feet wide. These monstrous botanical solar panels help collect light in a dark understory in South America, but in Hawaiʻi they cast a deep shade, reducing the ability of native plants to capture the energy they need to thrive. Their study revealed that the amount of sunlight that reaches the forest floor is consistently lower in a monotypic miconia-invaded forest when compared to a native ʻōhiʻa-dominated forest, or forests invaded by a diverse mixture of plants. Additionally, miconia leaves decompose quickly, reducing the amount of leaf litter.

This study also investigated what happens to raindrops as they hit the forest canopy all the way down to the forest floor.

The giant leaves act like a tarp: water puddles before falling to the ground.

Miconia produces some of the largest leaf throughfall drops ever measured, with cascading impacts.

Unlike our multi-layered ʻōhiʻa forests, with their carpets of ferns and mid-canopy plants, miconia can develop into a one- layer stand. Larger raindrops, unimpeded by understory or leaf litter, gain speed, hitting the ground with greater kinetic energy than rain falling from the sky. Giant raindrops pound and compact bare soil, causing water to travel along the surface instead of filtering into the ground to recharge our aquifers. In some areas of miconia-invaded forest, bare roots and other signs of erosion tell the tale of how miconia is washing away our forest floor.

The scale of the East Maui miconia infestation has demonstrated that this plant is a formidable foe. Current efforts focus on keeping it out of upper elevation forest and preventing it from spreading farther west. Research and testing continue to find safe and effective natural enemies of miconia. Help us keep the raindrops in our forests. If you find a miconia plant on Maui, recognizable by its large green and purple leaves, report it to 643pest.org.

This article was originally published in the Maui News on September 12, 2020 as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Read more Kiaʻi Moku articles

Citizen scientists and concerned community find ants new to Hawaiʻi

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Lissa Strohecker

The trap-jaw ant had never before been found in Hawaiʻi until a taro farmer in Hanalei collected it. Photo credit: Tom Murray, iNaturalist.org

In 2017, a taro farmer in Hanalei on Kaua’i found a strange ant in his lo’i – large and brownish red with mouth parts half the length of its head. Entomologists identified it as a species of trap-jaw ant, Odontomachus ruginodis, never before found in Hawai’i. Trap-jaw ants are aptly named: they can open their mandibles to a gaping 180° and, when nearby prey triggers tiny hairs on the inside, snap them shut at an astounding 140 mph, the second-fastest predatory animal movement known. According to Eric Garcia, an entomologist with the Hawai’i Department of Agriculture (HDOA), the ants find homes in composting wood. They will bite and sting but tend to flee when they see people or feel the ground moving, even using their snapping jaws to “jump” away.

The arrival of the trap-jaw ant to our state is relatively recent, but it has plenty of company. Nearly 60 ant species have found their way to Hawai’i, which previously had no ants. All have some impacts, with little fire ants (LFA) causing some of the greatest to date. Unlike trap-jaw ants, LFA are slow-moving, relatively oblivious of their surroundings, and unable to hold onto branches in a breeze. What they lack in aggression, they make up for in sheer number: supercolonies blanket trees and the ground, outcompeting other insects. When humans inadvertently encounter them, they leave with necks and torsos covered in welts from the sting of the ants. Pets can become blind from repeated stings. LFA are targeted for removal in Maui County, O’ahu, and Kaua’i.

Little fire ants are tiny! Only about 2 mm long. Image courtesy of Zach Pezzillo.

With over 20,000 different species of ants in the world, and a high dependency on imported goods, Hawai’i remains vulnerable to other troublesome ants hitchhiking a ride. Pest species that have recently invaded mainland states are particularly worrying.

The red imported fire ant (RIFA), native to South America, has spread throughout Texas and the Southeast. RIFA is very aggressive, swarming up people’s legs, leaving stings that can cause intense itching, swelling, and even anaphylactic shock. The tawny crazy ant, a relative newcomer to the Gulf Coast and southern states, excludes all other species, even covering itself in formic acid as a defense against RIFA. Poultry can die from attacks and cattle and other grazing animals suffer bites on their nostrils, mouths, and eyes. They are attracted to electrical wiring and tend to chew through the plastic casing and cause short circuits and, sometimes, fires.

What’s being done to prevent new invasions?

Inspectors stationed at the ports of entry check high-risk materials – ornamentals, food, and cut flowers – but the volume of incoming cargo limits their ability to inspect everything. Ants are small; many are found but sometimes they slip through. When they do, it’s often taro farmers, nursery owners, school kids, and beachgoers who find them.

The first detection of little fire ants in Hawai’i occurred when a Big Island nursery grower reported them to HDOA. On Maui, 11 of the 17 known infestations came to the attention of the Maui Invasive Species Committee through community reports. Students surveying for little fire ants as part of a class project found a species of ant new to Hawai’i – a tiny yellow LFA look-alike. Public reports of stinging ants at a Lāhainā beach lead to the first detection of the Mexican twig ant on Maui. Even RIFA and LFA were first detected on the mainland by kids: E.O. Wilson – a famed entomologist – collected RIFA in 1942 at age 13 in Alabama and a 12-year-old girl found LFA in Florida in 1924.

What can you do? Join in. This October, the Invasive Species Committees and partners throughout Hawai’i are encouraging people to collect and submit samples of ants from their yards during Stop the Ant Month. Think of it as doing a yearly physical for your home: collect and send in the ants you find to make sure there’s nothing to worry about. If something concerning pops up, early detection is on our side.

Collecting ants is easy; it just takes a smear of peanut butter and a few minutes.

Smear a tiny bit of peanut butter (or mayonnaise if peanut allergies are a concern) on several sticks, coffee stirrers, or pieces of cardboard, and place them in shady places in your yard. Set a timer for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, collect the ants, place them in a plastic bag labeled with your name, address, and contact information, and freeze them overnight.
Mail samples to MISC, P.O. Box 983, Makawao, HI 96768.

Indications of little fire ants include stings on the neck and torso that may resemble an allergic reaction. If you have experienced this, please contact us immediately: miscants@hawaii.edu or report it online through 643PEST.org. Find videos, lessons, and more information about invasive ants in Hawaiʻi at www.stoptheant.org.

A version of this article was originally published in the Maui News on October 10, 2020 as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Read more Kiaʻi Moku articles

Research informs the efforts to stop Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD)

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Lissa Strohecker

ʻŌhiʻa are a keystone species in Hawai’i and are found nowhere else in the world.

ʻŌhiʻa are the pioneers – the first trees to grow on bare lava. ʻŌhiʻa are also adaptable – they grow from sea level to tree line. ʻŌhiʻa are critical in capturing fresh water, supporting threatened and endangered species, and maintaining traditional cultural practices like hula. But these remarkable trees are at risk from Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD), a disease that kills ʻōhiʻa trees. ROD has killed over one million ʻōhiʻa across Hawaiʻi Island. Diseased trees have been found on Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, and Maui. Already, hula hālau are staying out of the forests to protect ʻōhiʻa.

Since 2014, a team of highly dedicated scientists – ecologists, plant pathologists, geographers, and foresters – have been studying the origin, impact, and spread of the two newly identified species of fungus that cause Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD): Ceratocystis lukuohia and Ceratocystis huliohia. Ceratocystis is a common – and sometimes devastating – plant pathogen, but these two species of Ceratocystis are new to science and new to Hawaiʻi.

Researchers Flint Hughes of the USDA Forest Service, Ryan Perroy of UH Hilo, Greg Asner of Arizona State, and others are using a combination of remote-sensing and field observations to gauge ʻōhiʻa death across Hawaiʻi Island. They have found that more trees are killed by ROD in areas where non-native hooved animals are present when compared to areas protected from those animals.

Invasive animals wound the bark of ʻōhiʻa, creating an entry point for the fungus. Damage from goats, sheep, and cattle is obvious – bark is missing. But the team also observed higher numbers of ROD-killed trees in forests with high pig populations. It is possible that pigs are damaging the roots of the trees opening it up for infection.

In a greenhouse study, pathologist Marc Hughes of the University of Hawaiʻi and the USDA Forest Service mulched potted ʻōhiʻa seedlings with sawdust made from infected trees containing Ceratocystis. The trees were healthy until Hughes cut some of the roots with a knife. Those trees then died, indicating that injuries to roots can also create opportunities for the fungus to infect trees.

“Wounds can only be infected for a short time. Once they dry out the fungus can no longer infect them. So protecting a forest helps, even if it has some ROD now” says J. B. Friday, extension forester with the University of Hawaiʻi Cooperative Extension Service.

Protecting the forests also helps ensure seedling survival. Ecologist Stephanie Yelenik of the USGS conducted experiments looking at what happens to ʻōhiʻa seedlings under ROD-affected trees, in plots where invasive plants and animals were removed and in plots where the pests remained. As seedlings died, researchers tested them for the presence of ROD – no sign of the pathogen was present. Seedlings were six times more likely to die in plots where invasive species were left unchecked. Invasive plants and animals posed a greater threat to the seedlings than ROD did during the study.

The first step in addressing ROD on Maui is to prevent it from arriving. HDOA has established a quarantine on the movement of ʻōhiʻa trees and plant parts from Hawaiʻi Island to other areas in the state. Hikers should brush off soil and clean boots or shoes with rubbing alcohol to remove any ROD-contaminated soil when traveling between islands.

Indiciations of ROD infection include a branch or tree dying quickly – within weeks.

Early detection, finding trees affected with ROD before the disease is widespread, is also key to protecting our ʻōhiʻa. Key signs include leaves that rapidly turning brown and appear frozen in place. On Maui, the only known ROD-affected tree was reported by an alert resident in Hāna. The tree has since been destroyed. The Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources surveys our ʻōhiʻa forests looking for symptomatic trees. Conservation crews and Maui residents can report ʻōhiʻa trees that appear to have died quickly. To date, residents have reported fourteen suspect trees over the last year. Though ʻōhiʻa die for many reasons, including drought, injuries from mowers or yard equipment, and herbicide, reporting is essential to finding ROD-damaged trees early. Fortunately, aside from the one tree, all other samples collected from Maui have tested negative for ROD.

Help protect our ʻōhiʻa forests from rapid ʻōhiʻa death: Support watershed protection efforts to remove invasive plants and animals. Respect the inter-island quarantine. Keep reporting suspect ʻōhiʻa trees on Maui to MISC (573-6472) or through 643PEST.org. Join the ʻŌhiʻa Love Festival, November 16-21st. Sign up for the virtual event through rapidohiadeath.org.

This article was originally published in the Maui News on November 10, 2020 as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Read more Kiaʻi Moku articles

Outreach and Education Update: October – December 2020

Posted on March 3, 2021 by Lissa Strohecker

Reaching out while staying physically distant has diversified MISC’s outreach methods and it hasn’t always meant more technology. In late September, MISC received a report of suspect ants; quick identifications and follow-up surveys confirmed our fears. Once we identified them as little fire ants, we needed to alert the community. Because Covid-19 prohibited community gatherings, MISC sent mailers throughout Ha‘ikū to alert neighbors to the new detection and to ask residents to collect ants from their yards. Over the next six weeks, nearly 40 residents mailed in samples – none of which turned out to be little fire ants. The community samples helped assure us that the new infestation covers a small area. The Kaupakalua report is not the first time that community reports have helped find and stop an LFA infestation– citizens have detected 11 of the 17 known populations on Maui.

Mailers alerted the Ha‘ikū community to the presence of little fire ants and concerned residents responded with nearly 40 samples of ants.

Little fire ants are beyond control on Hawaiʻi Island which means the likelihood of new incursions remains a perpetual threat. The Invasive Species Committees (ISCs) throughout the state collaborate on an annual little fire ant awareness campaign, Stop the Ant Month. Through public service announcements, social media posts, and online interviews, the ISCs collaborated to encourage the public to help stop the spread of invasive ants. As long as infestations are found early before they have a chance to spread, we can keep little fire ants at bay. Learn more about LFA and collect samples from your yard. Visit: stoptheant.org.

Can you spot the ant? Finding invasive ants early is key to containing and eliminating them.

All presentations, workshops, and volunteer activities offered by outreach staff this quarter were virtual. In October, the Maui Mauka Conservation Awareness Training program offered two workshops. Featured guest speakers were Jenni Learned with the Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project, who discussed seabird threats and protection efforts, and Keahi Bustamente with the Department of Land and Natural Resources presenting on native snails of Hawaiʻi and Maui.

Ha‘ikū nurseryman Mark Blietz, the owner of Northshore Tropicals, received this year’s Mālama i ka ʻĀina award, which is jointly sponsored by the County of Maui, the Maui Association of Landscape Professionals, and MISC. Blietz is a well-known nursery owner who has led by example throughout his career, both in the landscaping community and throughout Maui. He and his family have been in the nursery business for over 30 years and throughout that time, he has been active locally in the Maui Orchid Society and nationally as a judge in the American Orchid Society. Blietz has been proactive in dealing with invasive species and urges others to do the same. When the stinging nettle caterpillar arrived in Maui in 2008, he started controlling it around his nursery himself to keep from spreading it – he continues to control invasive species, currently working to keep coqui and ivy gourd out of his nursery. Historically, the award is presented at the Arbor Day Maui Garden Expo, but due to the pandemic, the ceremony took place at his Ha‘ikū nursery. MISC filmed the event, which included presenting Blietz with a glass sculpture of an ʻiliahi (Hawaiian sandalwood) created by Jupiter Nielsen. You can view the presentation on MISC’s YouTube Channel here: https://youtu.be/uE-ffSzW1e0

Mark Blietz received the 2020 Mālama i ka ʻĀina award ceremony. From left to right: Mark Blietz of Northshore Topicals, Allison Wright of the Maui Association of Landscape Professionals, Adam Radford of MISC, Makaleʻa Ane of the County of Maui.

Through the Kiaʻi Moku column in the Maui News, MISC covered the following topics: different ant species such as the trap-jaw ant, red-imported fire ant, and little fire ant; research findings about efforts to address rapid ʻōhiʻa death; and the importance of dark skies to protect young seabirds from predators during the fledging season. Other media mentions referred to press releases about the new little fire ant infestation in Haʻikū and the community coqui control program. MISC’s LFA coordinator Brooke Mahnken and PR specialist Lissa Strohecker were interviewed by Catherine Cruz for Hawaiʻi Public Radio’s “The Conversation.” The discussion highlighted MISC’s efforts to treat the little fire ant infestation in Nāhiku by helicopter.

Through websites and social media outlets, MISC reached an estimated 31,844 people during October, November, and December. Stop the Ant Month activities and efforts to expand MISC’s following on social media helped drive strong online engagement with the public. Staff also increased efforts to connect through e-mail lists and social media. To stay up to date about MISC activities, sign up for our newsletter or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

In November, MISC welcomed Serena Fukushima as MISC’s new public relations and education specialist. Born and raised on the island of Oʻahu, Serena moved to Maui in 2012. She helped support Haleakalā National Park’s internship program and then worked as the Nā Hua Ho‘ohuli i ka Pono internship program manager. Lissa Strohecker will be collaborating with Serena on MISC outreach projects over the next several months.

MISC will be offering virtual classroom presentations based on the Hōʻike o Haleakalā curriculum. If you are interested in having MISC as a guest speaker for your class, contact us at miscpr@hawaii.edu

You can find all past updates here: UPDATES

Other species updates from this quarter are below:

Outreach and Education Update: October – December 2020

Early Detection Crew Update: October – December 2020

Molokai/Maui Invasive Species Committee Update: October – December 2020

Hāna Plant Crew Update: October – December 2020

Pāʻia Plant Crew Update: October – December 2020

Little Fire Ant Crew Update: October – December 2020

Community Coqui Control Program Update: October – December 2020

Coqui Crew Update: October – December 2020

Early Detection Crew Update: October – December 2020

Posted on March 3, 2021 by Lissa Strohecker

MISC’s Early Detection team, Forest and Kim Starr, identify the ants collected by staff and submitted by the public. In the process of sorting ants, the Starrs found two ant species not previously detected on Maui or Molokai, Pseudomyrmex gracilis (Mexican twig ant) and Solenopsis abdita. These species may have been present for many years but went undetected because few people were out looking. The Starrs submitted voucher specimens to the University of Hawai‘i Insect Museum and the records will be published in the Bishop Museum’s Occasional Papers series. Surveys conducted at the Kahului airport as part of the statewide Māmalu Poepoe project detected no coconut rhinoceros beetles, little fire ants, Africanized honeybees, or honeybee pests such as varroa mite. No news can be good news!

The early detection team found *Celosia argentea* (cockscomb) growing on the side of ʻĪao Stream. This plant has never before been documented on Maui.

Additional new detections by the Early Detection team included Salvia hispanica (chia) in the wild in the Piʻiholo area, – a new state record as this plant has not been found growing in the wild before – and Celosia argentea (cockscomb) from the side of ʻĪao Stream – a new island record. The team sent the names of these new species to the Hawaiʻi Public Weed Risk Assessment program to determine potential invasiveness. The vouchers will be housed at Bishop Museum to confirm the identity and provide a reference for future researchers. Additionally, the records will be published in the Bishop Museum Occasional Papers to keep the records of Hawaiian flora up to date.

During surveys at Kahului Airport done as part of the Māmalu Poepoe program, Kim Starr checks a trap designed to attract the coconut rhinoceros beetle. No beetles were detected.

The Early Detection team also maintains Hawaiʻi Plant and Insect ID sites on Flickr where they provide free identifications to conservation professionals and the public. Over the last quarter, they identified 40 plant and 21 insect species.

Backyard efforts help protect Hawai’i

Safe biological controls rely on specialized species

Stopping both global pandemics and biological invasions requires flattening curves.

Native plant firebreaks may be a tool to control wildfires

Rats triggered changes in the environment of Hawai’i prior to humans settlement

Quantifying miconia’s impacts; big leaves mean big water drops and high levels of erosion

Citizen scientists and concerned community find ants new to Hawaiʻi

Research informs the efforts to stop Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD)

Outreach and Education Update: October – December 2020

You can find all past updates here: UPDATES

Other species updates from this quarter are below:

Outreach and Education Update: October – December 2020

Early Detection Crew Update: October – December 2020

Molokai/Maui Invasive Species Committee Update: October – December 2020

Hāna Plant Crew Update: October – December 2020

Pāʻia Plant Crew Update: October – December 2020

Little Fire Ant Crew Update: October – December 2020

Community Coqui Control Program Update: October – December 2020

Coqui Crew Update: October – December 2020

Early Detection Crew Update: October – December 2020

You can find all past updates here: UPDATES

Other species updates from this quarter are below:

Outreach and Education Update: October – December 2020

Early Detection Crew Update: October – December 2020

Molokai/Maui Invasive Species Committee Update: October – December 2020

Hāna Plant Crew Update: October – December 2020

Pāʻia Plant Crew Update: October – December 2020

Little Fire Ant Crew Update: October – December 2020

Community Coqui Control Program Update: October – December 2020

Coqui Crew Update: October – December 2020

Get Involved

Contact Us