biosecurity — Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC)

What’s keeping invasive species out of Hawaiʻi? Inspections, programs and plans and finally, you

Posted on February 27, 2024 by Lissa Strohecker

*Staff from Hawaiʻi receive training on how to handle snakes. It’s part of a larger* *effort to ensure prevention and response capacity.*

On the morning of January 9th, an employee unloading a container at a hardware store on Molokaʻi was startled by the sight of a snake flicking its tongue at him. The store immediately called the Maui Police Department and the Molokaʻi Invasive Species Committee. Within less than an hour of discovery, the snake was caught and dispatched. It was not a normal Monday morning—snakes rarely arrive in Hawaiʻi, and that’s by design.

Invasive species like snakes and other plants and animals can be drivers of environmental change. They can take over habitat used by native plants and animals, fueling wildfires, and disrupting aquifer recharge. These changes jeopardize agricultural and horticultural industries, tourism, and our quality of life. Preventing new invasive pests from becoming established and managing those that are already here is essential, but it doesn’t happen without vision, planning, and coordination. No single organization or agency can tackle all the invasive species challenges.

Even before a cargo ship leaves its port of origin, inspectors check for pests. In Oregon, which grows most of the Christmas trees destined for Hawaiʻi, inspectors shake out trees as they’re loaded into the containers, looking for wasps or other insects. On Guam, where brown tree snakes have overrun the island, a team from the U.S. Geological Survey regularly scours the wheel wells of outgoing planes to check for stowaway snakes. Once cargo arrives in the islands, the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture inspects it for hitchhiking pests. But they can’t check every box, leaf, or plant, and sometimes pests slip past the borders, finding their way into backyards or forests. Sometimes weedy plants are intentionally introduced.

Although invasive species don’t care who owns the land, agencies have specific mandates that limit where they can work. This gap was highlighted by the discovery of the highly invasive miconia plant in Hāna in the early 1990s. Miconia was on private and public land but hadn’t yet reached higher-elevation areas, where it would threaten the watershed. Control needed to occur wherever the plant had taken root.

So resource managers found a way to fill the gap. They created an informal committee, sought funding, and hired staff. Work expanded to other pests and the model was adopted by other islands, resulting in the island-based Invasive Species Committees (ISCs) that work on priority pests on private and public property. The ISCs focus on species that pose the greatest risk of harm and are considered feasible to eradicate or contain to limited areas. They work in close collaboration with partners whose work on invaders is more place-based—for example, watershed partnerships, national parks, natural area reserves, and wildlife refuges.

Addressing invasive species from reaching Hawaii begins outside our borders with inspections. Still some pests slip through the cracks and coordinated plans and response can keep them from becoming established. — Graphic courtesy Hawaii Invasive Species Biosecurity Plan, HISC

When invasive species have spread beyond containment but still pose significant threats, they may be suitable targets for biological control—using natural enemies from their native landscape to reduce their impacts in Hawaiʻi.

With so many players involved in this gargantuan task of addressing invasive species, it’s essential to plan and coordinate. In 2017, the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council released a Hawaiʻi Interagency Biosecurity Plan, developed with input from stakeholders from various agencies and the public. The plan identifies gaps in the biosecurity system and outlines policies, processes, and resources needed to improve our collective response. The plan offers a framework for agency collaboration, with specific tasks identified for lead and partner agencies.

Are we making progress? Chelsea Arnott, Coordinator for the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council highlighted some accomplishments under the plan since 2017:

The Department of Health’s vector control program was restored, enhancing protection against new species of mosquitoes and the spread of mosquito-vectored human disease. This statewide program lost its funding after the 2008 economic downturn.
Research support has led to remote sensing using drones, helicopters, and computer-aided analysis of images to detect trees infected with rapid ohia death.
Landscape-level efforts are underway to protect native birds from mosquito-borne diseases.
In Kaneohe Bay, lab-reared native sea urchins graze on invasive algae that threaten coral reefs.
On Maui, new methods for treating little fire ants by air are proving successful.
Agency cooperation has helped find and test natural enemies to slow the spread of invasive plants, including tibouchina, devil weed, and miconia.
Interagency coordination on outreach and education has increased community awareness about the importance of invasive species.

Ultimately, an alert and aware community is one of the most important layers of protection against the spread of invasive species. Thanks, Molokaʻi, for helping to ensure there are still no snakes in Hawaiʻi.

Learn more about the priorities for action and the agencies working to keep invasive species out of Hawaiʻi; visit https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/plans/hibp/

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 January 13, 2024, as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Read more Kiaʻi Moku articles

Detection of Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle on Maui Highlights Importance of Community Involvement in Pest Prevention

Posted on September 21, 2023 by Lissa Strohecker

*An abbreviated list of best management practices for Maui.*

The Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species (CGAPS), program staff from the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council (HISC), and the five Invasive Species Committees (ISCs) in Hawaiʻi are urging vigilance by contractors and landowners to prevent the accidental spread of invasive species.

To support these efforts, CGAPS, HISC support staff, and the ISCs have compiled a list of best management practices (BMPs) for coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB), little fire ants, and other species.

This appeal comes at a time when the urgent need to address impacts from the Maui fires may increase the introduction of infested materials from off-island, and CRB has been detected on both Maui and Kauaʻi.

The proposed reissuance of an emergency quarantine measure, Plant Quarantine Interim Rule 22-1, which restricts the movement of mulch and other potential CRB host materials from Oʻahu, is an important step, but by itself will not be adequate to the spread of this harmful pest. Contractors and individuals need to be sure that pests are not unwittingly moved in palm trees, green waste, mulch, loose or bagged compost, bagged soils, and similar items.

Throughout the state, the continued spread of pests poses significant risks:

Kauaʻi: The recent arrival of the coconut rhinoceros beetle pest to Kaua’i (detected May 31, 2023) highlights the threat posed by the movement of infested material. A decade of research on controlling the pest could lead to eradication on Kaua’i, but limiting the human-vectored spread is critical to achieving this goal.
O’ahu: Continued human-vectored spread will exacerbate the challenges in addressing this pest.
Maui County: with the increased volume of material moved to and around Maui to help with fire recovery efforts (including mulch and imported coconut coir, mulch, or greenwaste for use in erosion control sock filler), mulch and compost for restoring burn scars, and plants for restoration, there’s an increased risk of introducing invasive species.
Hawai’i Island: To date, CRB have not been detected on Hawai’i Island. Should they arrive, they would likely spread quickly, given the low population density and plentiful habitat that could lead to challenges in detecting and eradicating the pest.

The BMPs highlight practices to prevent the spread of coconut rhinoceros beetles, but also provide general guidelines for little fire ants, coqui frogs, two-lined spittle bug, and other invasive species.

For restoration projects, the BMPs provide guidance on fire risk assessments and non-invasive characteristics for selecting plants.

For more information:

List of Best Management Practices: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/files/2023/09/BMPs-for-Invasive-Species-Prevention-091223.pdf
Christy Martin, Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species, christym@rocketmail.com
Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Response: (808) 679-5244, info@crbhawaii.org
Island-based Invasive Species Committees: https://www.hawaiiinvasivespecies.org/
Pacific Fire Exchange: Melissa Chimera, melissa@hawaiiwildfire.org

Plan exists to enhance biosecurity among Hawaiian Islands

Posted on September 26, 2019 by Lissa Strohecker

Inspector checking goods to protect Hawaii from invasive pests. — Masako Cordray photo

Hawaiʻi has been called the “invasive species capital of the world” thanks to the amount and type of harmful species coming in, according to Josh Atwood, Coordinator of the statewide Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council.

Many of Hawaiʻi’s troublemakers were introduced over a hundred years ago – strawberry guava and mosquitos, for example—but the arrival of unwelcome guests is hardly a problem of the past. The Ceratocystis fungi, which causes Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death, is spreading like wildfire across Hawaiʻi Island and has since been detected on Kauaʻi; and the coconut rhinoceros beetle, which has wiped out many coconut palms on Guam, is now on Oʻahu. These invaders showed up within the last 10-15 years.

To stop the continued influx of detrimental species and ramp up efforts to address those already present, the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture (HDOA) collaborated with the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council to create the first Hawaiʻi Interagency Biosecurity Plan. Launched in 2017, the plan identifies 154 actions needed to improve our biosecurity–with a focus on increased collaboration among agencies and outlining funding needs over a ten-year time span.

The biosecurity plan takes a comprehensive approach to the challenge by
1) incorporating pre-border policies and processes, such as inspecting cargo bound for Hawaiʻi before it departs,
2) including efforts at the border, such as improved inspection facilities on all islands and increased staffing levels at points of entry; and
3) enhanced capacity to detect and respond to pests if they do arrive in the state, including preventing their movement between islands.

The plan focuses on biosecurity functions, rather than targeting specific species, but Atwood describes how the biosecurity plan could help address one of the biggest threats to our state. “Eight brown tree snakes have already made it to Hawaiʻi. Most of those interceptions happened once planes had landed.”

“If you don’t increase capacity — people looking for pests— some of these species will slip through,” Atwood says.

The plan took a year to write and is designed to be implemented over 10 years. Atwood credits the existing network of dedicated individuals already working on biosecurity. “The key step was identifying the most important gaps and then finding solutions, Atwood explains.

Legislative support and approval are key to implementing the plan and Atwood is encouraged by the results so far: one-half of the actions in the plan have been initiated since 2017. But the capacity to complete those and some of the more challenging tasks requires increased staffing, which requires funding. In recent years, the legislature has allocated less than one-half a percent (0.4%) of the State’s budget to HDOA; DLNR, which is also tasked with protecting natural resources from invasive species and other threats, received only one percent (1%) of the budget.

“We need to do anything we can to save native species, grow our own food, and live meaningful lives here in Hawaiʻi.” Atwood says.

“At level funding, we can anticipate more invasive species establishing in Hawaiʻi, and control costs will continue to increase,” says Atwood. He views the plan as an essential step in moving forward. “We need to do anything we can to save native species, grow our own food, and live meaningful lives here in Hawaiʻi.” If you would like to learn more about the Hawaiʻi Interagency Biosecurity Plan including summaries and updates, you can find the complete plan online at https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/plans/hibp/.

This article was originally published in the Maui News on May 12th, 2019 as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Damage to māmaki plant by moth highlights need for biosecurity

Posted on September 26, 2019 by Lissa Strohecker

The caterpillar of the ramie moth can be identified by its coloration — black with orange dots and white hairs — as well as its behavior — it “hisses” when approached. Report sightings to 643PEST.org. — Department of Land and Natural Resources photo

Last October, Keahi Bustamente was looking for rare snails in Olowalu Valley when he noticed a māmaki plant showing signs that something had been eating it. A quick look revealed the culprit was a black caterpillar. He plucked the unfamiliar insect in hopes he had found something new – perhaps a native species. Bustamente is an invertebrate biologist with the Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit. He works with the Department of Land and Natural Resources and spends his days scouring the forests for native land snails.

He couldn’t identify the larva and started asking colleagues on Maui and Oʻahu. An entomologist on Oʻahu guessed that it was from a ramie moth, never before found in Hawaiʻi, but to confirm the identification, Bustamente had to raise the caterpillar to the adult moth stage. A brown and black moth with a 3-inch wingspan emerged – it was indeed the ramie moth.

This new moth, Arcte coerula, is native to the Philippines and dines on plants in the nettle family (Urticaceae). The moth is large and a strong flyer, but it most likely arrives on our shores as a hitchhiker. Uninvited, this interloper is now munching its way through māmaki in our forests.

Māmaki is traditionally used in Hawaiian culture for medicinal tea and cordage. Increasing interest in the plant has led it being grown commercially for tea. In the forest, māmaki serves to stabilize streambanks. Māmaki supports over a dozen species of native insects, including leaf miners, moths, and beetles, and the Kamehameha Butterfly, which is reliant on māmaki.

Māmaki supports over a dozen species of native insects [that are] reliant on the plant itself. — Department of Land and Natural Resources photo

It’s not just māmaki that is at risk. The caterpillar of the ramie moth has been found on other plants related to māmaki, including maʻaloa (Neraumdia sericea), an endangered plant on the verge of extinction.

A few weeks after the Bustamente found the caterpillar in Olowalu, a native-plant grower reported finding it in Olinda and ʻUlupalakua; sightings from Waiehu, ʻĪao Valley and the mountains of West Maui soon followed. It quickly became apparent that the ramie moth was already too widespread to be removed from Maui.

The ramie moth is only the latest in a host of pest insects. Every year, over a dozen new insects arrive in Hawaiʻi. Some turn out to be serious invaders forever altering life in the islands. Little fire ants, coconut rhinoceros beetle, varroa mite, coffee berry borer, and naio thrip are recent examples. These troublemakers threaten native plants and animals, the function of our environment, our relationship with nature. Once established, they impact cultural practices, recreation and the livelihoods of the residents of Hawaiʻi, jeopardizing tourism and agriculture.

“At any point, some new plant or animal can come in and forever change Hawaiian ecosystems in a way we can never recover,” says Bustamente.

The arrival of yet another pest highlights the need for increased prevention efforts. The Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council in cooperation with state and federal agencies developed the Hawaiʻi Interagency Biosecurity Plan. The plan lays out specific steps needed to improve biosecurity in Hawaiʻi. The plan needs legislative support and funding to be implemented.

It’s still too early to tell what the impacts of the ramie moth will be, but Bustamente and others are concerned. “The caterpillar can hammer a māmaki plant,” says Bustamente, who has found over 100 individuals on a single plant. Even though it’s unlikely all will survive to adulthood, it’s during their caterpillar stage that they damage māmaki.

If you have māmaki or other nettle-family plants in your yard, be alert to the threat of the ramie moth. Look for a black caterpillar (sometimes yellow) with bright orange spots and white hairs. Be careful not to confuse the ramie moth with the native Kamehameha caterpillar. The Kamehameha caterpillar is green for most of its life but is black immediately after hatching. The behavior differs as well – the ramie moth caterpillar rears up and spits to defend itself. Report sightings to the statewide pest hotline, either by phone: 643-6245 or online: 643PEST.org. You can learn more about plans to improve Hawaiʻiʻs protection against the arrival of new pests at the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council’s website: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/plans/hibp/

This article was originally published in the Maui News on July 13th, 2019 as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

What’s keeping invasive species out of Hawaiʻi? Inspections, programs and plans and finally, you

Detection of Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle on Maui Highlights Importance of Community Involvement in Pest Prevention

Plan exists to enhance biosecurity among Hawaiian Islands

Damage to māmaki plant by moth highlights need for biosecurity

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