![]() ![]() "This method of acoustic detection allowed Guam 'rhino hunters' to quickly and efficiently locate feeding grubs in an area thought to be rhino-beetle free," says Aubrey Moore, "and as the beetle broadens its range the acoustic approach to detection may save money and the lives of many coconut trees. ![]() Results of these studies favor the hypotheses that beetles use stridulations to communicate with other beetles in hidden environments and that acoustic monitoring devices can be useful in mitigating the damage to coconut trees through monitoring and early detection. The stridulations have distinct, easily recognizable temporal patterns. Field recordings were also made of beetles and larvae in coconut trees and logs.ĭigitized signals were analyzed with several types of software, which distinguished intervals and amplitudes of chirps. Recordings were made of beetles and larvae that were reared at the university. University of Guam entomologist, Aubrey Moore worked with Mankin to analyze the spectral and temporal patterns of stridulations produced by the rhino beetles. Banning the outdoor storage of bags of potting soil would be one way to help curtail the spread of coconut rhinoceros beetles throughout the island.Ī scientific note on these observations has been published in the December 2016 issue of the Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society.The coconut rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros, is a serious pest of coconut palms and was discovered on Guam September 11, 2007. There is plenty of food to support development from egg to adult," warned extension agent Roland Quituqua. The results were published in June in Volume 13 of the Communicative & Integrative Biology journal. "Rhino beetle larvae are excellent decomposers, which is why dead standing coconut trees and fallen logs are a hotbed of rhino beetle breeding activity. The beetle, first documented as an invasive species in Guam in 2007, has been devastating the island’s ubiquitous coconut trees and is now also burrowing into Guam’s endangered native cycad tree, Cycas micronesica. When unsuspecting gardeners buy potting soil for use in their home gardens they are getting more than they paid for and are helping the invasive rhino beetles move around the island. With the alluring high organic matter content of packaged potting soil, coconut rhinoceros beetles make holes in the thin plastic bags and deposit their eggs. Coconut rhinoceros beetles seek out high-density organic material, as decaying organic matter is the preferred place to find a mate and lay their eggs. Garden centers very often keep bags of potting soil stacked outdoors making them easily accessible to customers and interested insects. Unfortunately for Guam's coconut trees, this is a really good way to spread rhino beetles around the island." After selecting one and opening it we discovered five large coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) grubs. "We noticed several unopened bags of potting soil with multiple holes in the plastic. Aubrey Moore, UOG extension entomologist. "These complaints prompted us to investigate by visiting the garden center of a local hardware store franchise that imports soil from the US mainland," said Dr. Extension and Outreach personnel at the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Guam had received numerous complaints from clients finding beetle grubs in bags of potting soil purchased at local stores. ![]()
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