STATE OF HAWAIʻI

KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

JOSH GREEN, M.D.

GOVERNOR

KE KIAʻĀINA

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND BIOSECURITY

ʻOIHANA MAHIʻAI A KIAʻI MEAOLA

SHARON HURD

CHAIRPERSON

KA LUNA HOʻOKELE

DEAN M. MATSUKAWA
DEPUTY TO THE CHAIRPERSON

KA HOPE LUNA HOʻOKELE

 EXPANSION OF DESIGNATED COCONUT RHINOCEROS BEETLE-INFESTED AREA IN WEST HAWAIʻI ISLAND

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 28, 2026

NR26-16

HONOLULU — Today, July 28, 2026, the Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity (board) approved a request to expand the designated coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB), Oryctes rhinoceros, infested area in West Hawaiʻi Island to include the geographic area between Henry Street, Palani Road, and Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway, as shown in figure 1. The request for the board’s designation to include the geographic area  as an expanded CRB-infested area follows the initial designation of the CRB-infested area in West Hawaiʻi Island on March 24, 2026, pursuant to Interim Rule 26-1. The designation goes into effect on July 29, 2026.

With the board expanding the CRB-infested area in West Hawaiʻi Island, all organizations, companies, or any other person who transport, generate, process, collect, sell, or grow CRB host materials in the expanded area must conduct these activities under a valid compliance agreement issued by the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity. As a prerequisite to obtaining a compliance agreement, completing a training session provided by the Big Island Invasive Species Committee (BIISC) is required.

To sign up for compliance agreement training, go to the BIISC website at https://www.biisc.org/crb-compliance-trainings/, click the link for a training session and fill out the required information. The training session should be approximately one hour and BIISC staff will coordinate directly with participants for scheduling. Upon completion of the training, BIISC staff will collect and submit to DAB a copy of the compliance agreement application verifying training completion.

If you need more information about the expanded infested area or permit requirements, please contact the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity’s Plant Quarantine Branch Acting Plant Specialist, Ms. Techie Lancaster, by phone: 808-832-0566, or email: [email protected].

For a copy of Interim Rule 26-1, please click here.

Figure 1: Expanded CRB infested area of Interim Rule 26-1 is the red-striped area between Henry Street, Palani Road, and Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway.   

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