Hawaiʻi County is renewing a voluntary compliance order for parts of West Hawaiʻi to stop the movement of host materials for the coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB).
This voluntary order, which is in effect through Jan. 31, 2026, is put in place while the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity (HDAB) drafts interim rules for Hawaiʻi Island.
To stop the spread of CRB, residents and business operators in this area are asked not to transport CRB host materials that include:
- Decomposing plant material such as compost, wood or tree chips, and mulch.
- Plant propagation material.
- Other items, such as landscaping material, that are comprised of decomposing organic plant material.
- All live palm plants in the genera Cocos (Coconut palm), Livistona (Fountain palm or Chinese fan palm), Phoenix (Date palm, Canary Island date palm), Pritchardia (Loulu), Roystonea (Royal palm), and Washingtonia (California fan palm, Mexican fan palm) — except unsprouted seeds of these palms.
Residents and business operators within the compliance area who need to get rid of green waste should take the material to proper disposal sites located at the West Hawaiʻi Organics Facility at 71-1111 Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway and Kealakehe Transfer Station at 74-598 Hale Makai Place. These facilities, located within the compliance area, heat compost piles to at least 131 degrees to kill CRB larvae.
Host materials, such as decomposing plant material, can contain CRB eggs, larvae, and adults. Moving such infested materials outside the compliance area could unintentionally spread CRB far beyond its current range, complicating eradication efforts and hindering control measures.
CRB primarily targets coconut and other palm species. However, it will feed on other important crops such as ʻulu, banana and kalo when the palm food sources are eliminated.
For questions about moving CRB host materials, please contact Glenn Sako, County Economic Development Specialist, at 808-961-8811.
Photo credit: Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture