For more than a decade, the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� has been on the front lines of the battle against the invasive coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB). Now, researchers at the (CTAHR) are seeing progress in a promising weapon: viruses.

“Pathogens are being used, but viruses are being underutilized as far as I’m concerned,” said Mike Melzer, researcher and virologist at CTAHR’s Department of Plant & Environmental Protection Sciences. “I know we can find viruses that will have a really good impact on important target species that are pests in �鶹��ý.”

Unlike chemical pesticides, the virus infects CRBs from the inside, weakening and killing them before they reach adulthood. By targeting larvae, the virus can suppress beetle populations over time while minimizing harm to non-target species. Researchers believe the virus should also infect adults, making them lethargic and less likely to damage palms.

Rigorous safety standards

For 10 years, federal regulators told UH researchers that the CRB virus could not be brought into �鶹��ý due to a lack of adequate containment facilities. A breakthrough finally came in early 2025 through a collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s permit unit.

Current permits specifically restrict research to the larval stage because larvae cannot fly, significantly reducing the risk of an accidental environmental release. “We rear CRB for research purposes and we’ve never lost an adult out of there,” he said.

Protecting the Kauaʻi stag beetle

A primary goal of the current lab testing is to ensure the virus is host-specific and will not harm �鶹��ý‘s native ecosystem. While the virus has been used effectively in other Pacific nations, Melzer emphasized that Hawaiʻi has unique native species to protect, such as the Kauaʻi stag beetle.

“Nobody really gives too much of a thought about CRB where the virus has been released” Melzer noted, explaining that while some damage remains, the virus keeps it at a manageable “two out of 10” rather than the devastating levels seen in �鶹��ý.

A good night’s sleep

In August 2025, Melzer and a former student, Nelson Masang Jr., traveled to Palau, a region where the virus has successfully managed the beetle for decades, to collect genetic variants of the virus. The research trip was part of a close partnership with Professor Chris Kitalong and Jacques Idechong of Palau Community College.

The research, led by doctoral student Kristen Gaines, involves infecting CRB larvae to observe how the virus spreads. Early results have been encouraging, showing that the virus can kill larvae within 12 to 30 days. “I sleep a little better at night because Kristen said she’s starting to see larvae getting lethargic and dying after just being exposed to the virus,” Melzer said.

Nearly all little fire ants along the Lanikai loop in Windward Oʻahu are on track for eradication thanks to the efforts of University of �鶹��ý researchers working with community members.

During an assessment in February 2024, dozens of locations along the Lanikai loop and beach areas were found to harbor invasive little fire ants. Researchers with the and , both in the in the UH ����ԴDz� , conducted a large-scale treatment effort over 26 acres to combat the infestation. Between March 2024 and January 2025, ant baits were applied eight times across affected areas. To assess the extent of the invasion, more than 3,600 ant samples were collected, and treatment was carried out at 85 residences and 1.5 acres of the beach.

The latest survey, conducted in February 2025, collected more than 2,000 samples, with only a single ant detected. The affected area was immediately re-treated, and the project has now entered a long-term monitoring phase to ensure the infestation does not resume.

“This project demonstrates that with persistence, community involvement and science-based treatments, we can effectively control little fire ants,” said �鶹��ý Ant Lab Manager Michelle Montgomery. “Continued monitoring and stable funding are essential to ensure these invasive pests do not return and threaten our ecosystems again.”

To be considered fully eradicated, no little fire ants can be detected for a minimum of three consecutive years. Since the ants were first identified in Lanikai in 2019, residents have struggled to manage infestations, with limited resources making large-scale control efforts difficult.

Little fire ants are a highly invasive pest known for their painful stings, which can harm people, pets and wildlife while disrupting ecosystems.

The �鶹��ý Ant Lab and Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee continue to support community-driven little fire ant control efforts across �鶹��ý. Both organizations rely on funding from the �鶹��ý Invasive Species Council, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, the Department of Defense, and other government and non-profit sources. Officials stress that stable, long-term funding is crucial to ensuring sustained efforts to eliminate invasive species and protect local ecosystems and communities.

In response to recent discoveries of illegal releases from private marine aquariums across the state, the University of �鶹��ý and other organizations launched an awareness campaign, “,” aimed at stopping this unlawful behavior.

The campaign is spearheaded by Christy Martin, program manager of the (CGAPS), a project of the UH ����ԴDz� housed in the UH ����ԴDz� .

One instance of an aquarium release involved the illegal soft coral known as “pulse coral” or “pulsing xenia” (Unomia stolonifera). It has spread from what is believed to be the initial release site to now occupy a nearly 80-acre footprint near the mouth of Pearl Harbor.

Some marine aquarium releases are thought to be from hobbyists that were not aware of no-kill and rehoming alternatives, possible harm to the environment, or that the species released were illegal to import and possess.

The has also responded to several public reports of non-native or suspicious marine species of hard corals and anemones that appear to have been purposefully outplanted from illegal aquariums into nearshore environments by hobbyists, for later collection and sale on the black market. This is also illegal and poses multiple risks to the marine environment.

“During the past year, a similar marine aquarium species of soft coral native to the Red Sea was found spreading on reefs in Puerto Rico. With the global increase in marine aquarium ownership, and the U.S. being the largest consumer, we should expect to see an increase in releases,” Martin said.

UH student designs logo

Martin has served as a guest speaker for UH classes, highlighting current issues, needs and opportunities to participate. In fall 2023, she shared her description of the situation in Pearl Harbor with the (MOP) class and piqued the interest of Hannah Chang, a recent graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, who is working on her second bachelor’s degree in marine biology. Chang created the logo for the new campaign.

“When I learned about the impacts that pulse coral is having in �鶹��ý, I wanted to find a way to help,” Chang said, whose experience includes scientific illustrations and whimsical character designs. “Working on this project helped me gain some real-world experience and I am happy with the responses to the new logo.”

Chang’s logo was officially introduced and launched at a media event on October 28 at the Waikīkī Aquarium. She hopes to continue to use her background in art and marine biology as a science communicator to raise awareness about marine biodiversity.

“Awareness campaigns are critically important, and Hannah’s contributions to this effort are deeply appreciated,” Martin said.

UH MOP Director Cindy Hunter added, “This is a great example of how the Marine Option Program provides opportunities for any UH student with ocean interests to engage in real-world experiences as they progress toward their career goals.”

The University of �鶹��ý has become the first university to sign a memorandum of understanding to provide environmental research expertise to the (NCEL). The NCEL serves as a non-partisan resource network of over 1,200 state legislators representing all 50 states working to protect, conserve, and improve the natural and human environment around regional and issue-specific projects.

The agreement, signed by UH President David Lassner, UH Vassilis L. Syrmos, �鶹��ý State Sen. Chris Lee and NCEL Executive Director Dylan McDowell, provides the necessary framework for NCEL to seek out environmental expertise from UH faculty and researchers.

“Our pre-eminent capabilities in environment protection and conservation research have been built organically over many decades and are now widely recognized,” said Lassner. “This new agreement will enable us to share what we have learned with others around the country, as we do throughout �鶹��ý and the Pacific.”

Under the agreement, NCEL may seek out expertise from UH, who will connect NCEL members to the appropriate subject matter expert(s) to discuss. If more research or reporting is required, NCEL may direct UH to available grant opportunities to assist with the additional tasks. Requests from NCEL will be processed through the recently created UH Office of Land and Ocean Conservation Futures directed by Suzanne Case.

“Natural resource management and conservation are no longer just catch phrases as �鶹��ý and the world are facing an onslaught of environmental challenges that are threatening our well-being,” Syrmos said. “I’m pleased that NCEL has partnered with UH research to assist them with various initiatives to help preserve and maintain our natural environment.”

, which serves as the flagship of the 10-campus UH System, is classified as a Research 1 institution and one of a handful of land-, sea-, space-, and sun-grant universities. Researchers at UH have world-class expertise in a wide area of environmental-related fields, such as biological control, biocultural restoration, agroforestry, natural resource management, invasive species management, oceanography, clean energy, hydrology and Indigenous knowledge.

“We are unlocking an incredible new opportunity for innovative policy solutions by connecting legislators with the research and expertise of the University of �鶹��ý,” said NCEL Executive Director Dylan McDowell. “This partnership is an important part of NCEL’s efforts to connect our network of 1,300 lawmakers with UH experts across the globe on some of the most pressing environmental challenges.”

Lee serves as president of the NCEL board of directors. A strong advocate of clean energy and the environment, Lee felt that it was absolutely necessary to bring to bear all of UH’s world-class research expertise and resources to assist NCEL with its vision of advancing a clean and healthy environment through state leadership.

“Equipping policymakers around the country with real science and data on our biggest issues will empower state leaders to deliver more effective and successful results for communities around the country,” said Lee. “At a time when courts have begun to restrict the scope of science in decision-making by the federal government, it’s more important than ever that states take the lead.”

Three new public impact research papers on invasive species issues were published on the U.S. Department of Interior’s website, and the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�’s Christy Martin played a role in each.

Appointed in 2023 to the U.S. Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC), Martin worked with her ISAC colleagues to research and produce three white papers to advise the National Invasive Species Council, focusing much of her effort as co-chair for the subcommittee that drafted a paper on how .

The paper provides examples of how several invasive species impact different underserved communities, including Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, while also pointing out the challenges of using the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) which is intended to be a guide for federal agencies to provide support, including for invasive species issues.

“As this paper illustrates, it is vitally important to support communities like Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and others that have been historically underserved,” Martin said. “However, we found that there are significant gaps in available data that preclude identifying underserved communities, much less those that are overburdened due to invasive species, and there is no regular, systematic, longitudinal data available and incorporated into the CEJST on invasive species or their impacts in different areas. Further, there are many barriers that underserved communities face, and nothing can replace the value of engaging with these communities directly to understand their needs and how best to provide support.”

There are many barriers that underserved communities face, and nothing can replace the value of engaging with these communities directly to understand their needs and how best to provide support.
—Christy Martin

The other two papers are and .

As the program manager of the , a project of the UH ����ԴDz� in the , Martin has more than two decades of experience working on invasive species issues in �鶹��ý and the Pacific region.

The Invasive Species Advisory Committee was created by Executive Order 13112 and continued by Executive Order 13751, and consists of 12 appointed members and five non-voting advisors, from state, territorial, tribal, and local governments, as well as academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. .

Although undersized, little fire ants have had a massive impact in �鶹��ý, from stinging residents and blinding pets to displacing other insects and animals and leaving agricultural land unusable. In Nāhiku, Maui, the fire ants have invaded 175 acres of land, the largest known infestation in the state. A team from the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� has developed a strategy to manage, and possibly eradicate the little fire ants.

After the Nāhiku infestation was discovered in 2014, the Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC) in the UH ����ԴDz� partnered with the Hilo-based �鶹��ý Ant Lab (HAL) and the �鶹��ý Department of Agriculture. MISC used an ant control technique developed by HAL that relies on an insect growth regulator combined with a beef liver bait that is highly attractive to little fire ants, but not other insects. Due to an intermittent stream found in Nāhiku, HAL and MISC also ensured that the mixture would be safe for use around waterways, as well as humans and animals.

The mixture is the consistency of pancake batter, appropriate for use in the pumps and spray equipment that are attached to the helicopter that distributes the little fire ant treatments. Additionally, the consistency causes the mixture to stick on the leaves of trees and shrubs long enough for worker ants to find and deliver it to the queen to prevent her from laying eggs. After regular treatments, she and her colony die out.

After more than three years and 24 treatments, annual surveys of the Nāhiku infestation show the little fire ants have been nearly eradicated.

“We’ve reached a milestone in our efforts to get rid of the ants in Nāhiku,” said Brooke Mahnken, MISC’s lead on Maui fire ant eradication efforts. “We didn’t find any fire ants in our last survey. This means we’re in a monitoring phase. While there’s a chance they may turn up during future surveys, we’ve reached the point on the journey where eradication is in sight.”

“Having an effective product and a way to get it into the trees was a turning point for the State,” added Interim MISC Manager Teya Penniman. “[The Nāhiku success story is a] victory for us, but also the rest of the state. We have a proof of concept that it’s possible to eliminate large infestations of little fire ants in some of the most extreme habitats.”

Stop the Ant month

A team of more than 30 people from MISC will be joined by staff from other conservation organizations throughout October in honor of “Stop the Ant” month as they search for any straggler ants. Surveys will continue for several years.

“If we find little fire ants on our next survey, we know we can knock out these small populations with the tools we’ve developed,” said Mahnken. “If repeat surveys over the course of five years yield no ants, we will declare the site eradicated.”

During Stop the Ant month, �鶹��ý residents are encouraged to collect and submit ants from their properties to help detect and control the spread of the little fire ants and other harmful pest ants that may be new to the state. Instructions and more information to report the ants .

The hala tree, its sprawling leaves famously used for woven lauhala pieces and iconic in Hawaiian and Polynesian culture, is being threatened by a critical invasive pest—the hala scale. Experts at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�’s (CTAHR), the UH and UH ����ԴDz� teamed up to save the trees on campus. Thanks to their collaborative efforts, the pest was eradicated at UH ����ԴDz� in August 2022.

The hala scale is an invasive insect that damages hala leaves as well as the tree’s fruit and young seedlings, which can prevent the regeneration of new hala. Common signs of infestation include wilted leaves and tiny black specks found primarily on the underside of leaves, as well as on the tops of leaves and on the hala fruit. Hala scale originated in Hāna, Maui in 1995 but has since spread to Molokaʻi and Oʻahu. In November 2021, UH ����ԴDz� was identified as one of three Oʻahu hot spots of the pest.

Prior to hala scale removal, UH ����ԴDz� was home to 54 hala trees. The hala scale on UH ����ԴDz�’s campus was concentrated in two main areas: the lower campus athletics complex and the Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies. In addition to being a popular landscape plant, the hala is iconic in �鶹��ý and Polynesia for its versatility.

“It was used by many cultures for thousands of years, most notably the leaves being used and woven into basic necessities at the time, 1,500 years ago,” said Nōweo Kai, curator at the UH Campus Arboretum. “It was used for medicine, famine food and fibers. Hala leaves (lauhala) were even used to make sails for double-hull canoes.”

Researching solutions

Zhiqiang Cheng, an associate professor and extension specialist at CTAHR’s Department of , has been researching hala scale with his since 2016.

“HDOA staff reached out to me in 2016, and asked me to review the hala scale infestation situation on Chaminade University’s campus and set up a field research trial there,” said Cheng. “I then received funding to conduct a larger scale research trial on Maui, where hala scale is widespread.”

Working alongside Cheng is Mason Russo, a CTAHR PhD student in . Their research has so far identified several low-risk insecticides that are effective against hala scale. One of the insecticides—imidacloprid—was used to combat the hala scale at UH ����ԴDz�.

Eradicating the pest

Starting in January 2022, UH ����ԴDz� Landscape Services collaborated with Cheng and Russo to begin efforts for hala scale removal and treatment. Cheng communicated best practices for managing the pest, which landscaping then implemented.

Their efforts mainly involved the careful removal of infected hala. Landscaping personnel would cut down infected hala, placing it into a dedicated roll-off bin. After removal, they would drench the contents of the bin with imidacloprid (the insecticide that Cheng recommended), and leave the bin covered for two weeks before sending it to H-POWER for incineration. As a preventative measure, they also applied the insecticide to the ground below each tree that was removed. Anyone who worked on removal each day had to disinfect themselves and their tools with rubbing alcohol to prevent further spread of the pest.

Fifteen hala trees were removed from campus due to scale infestation. Hala that were not infested to the point of removal were also treated with imidacloprid. These efforts were well worth it, when the hala scale was officially deemed eradicated at UH ����ԴDz�.

Going forward, landscaping plans to continue the pesticide treatment on an annual basis. Through continued collaboration and due diligence, the hope is to prevent the remainder of the hala on campus from being infested and to mitigate further hala scale spread across Oʻahu.

—By Alisha Churma

The coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) is a major invasive pest that feeds on coconut palms, betelnut, Pandanus palms, banana, pineapple and sugarcane. In �鶹��ý, with no natural enemies to this beetle, the damage to crops can be significant.

That’s where University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� Professor Dan Jenkins of the and his PhD student Mohsen Paryavi come in. Armed with a drone that looks like something borrowed from a Transformers movie set, the duo coordinated with Mike Melzer of the and his CRB Response team to combat the CRB.

Jenkins recently spent three days at the �鶹��ý Country Club on Oʻahu, using the drone to shoot targeted aerial applications of an insecticide called Demon Max (cypermethrin) atop 53 coconut trees that showed signs of infestation.

Arising before dawn in order to avoid the stronger tradewinds later in the day, the team sent the drone up again and again, drenching each tree’s crown with a half-gallon of product diluted to 0.5% Demon Max.

“Most of the trees were defoliated enough that we really applied directly in the crown—in contrast to healthy trees where fronds grow straight up and occlude the crown,” said Jenkins. “At my discretion, I treated some highly defoliated trees with approximately half treatments.”

On the first day, 14 trees were treated and a total of 20 dying beetles were observed from the base of treated trees. On day two, 30 trees were treated and 59 dying beetles were collected at the base of treated trees. Mortalities from the previous day were cleaned up, out of concern of spreading them up the food chain. The collected beetles were placed in their own container in the quarantine facility for observation. On the last day, nine trees were treated, and 29 dying beetles were collected at the bases of these.

“One observation is that virtually all of the beetles we found were at the bases of trees that had no other vegetation or long grass at the base (approximately half of the trees), so I would think that we killed at least double what we were able to find,” said Jenkins.

Jenkins added, “Some trees had insect burrows/tunnels at the base of these trees and where they existed we collected a lot of beetles trying to dig further into them. We also found a lot of centipedes in this kind of habitat—possibly trying to predate on the beetles?”

For analysis and further study, Jenkins has created shapefiles showing the locations of treated trees, photos with GPS embedded in the metadata, and a 3- and 6-month timeline for revisiting the golf course.

The �鶹��ý State Legislature has defined invasive species as the “single greatest threat” to our economy, natural environment and health of our communities. Once invasive insects and plants become established and widespread, there are very few tools that can effectively limit the unwanted impacts of those pests and weeds at a large scale. One way to combat invasive species is biological control, or biocontrol for short, the science of controlling a pest or weed by using another organism.

However, there are misconceptions about the process. When people in �鶹��ý think of biocontrol the first thing that comes to mind is the mongoose, a small carnivorous mammal introduced by sugar planters in a misguided effort to control night-active rats. To explain the science behind modern biocontrol, the and the state’s (DLNR) developed a video to raise awareness and clear up misconceptions.

When a biocontrol is “host-specific,” when it only impacts the intended pest or weed and does not harm other species or the environment, the benefit-to-cost ratio can be between 30:1 and 300:1. This makes modern, host-specific biocontrol among the safest and most cost-effective control measures available.

To help raise awareness about the sophisticated science of selecting and testing potential biological control “agents,” the (CGAPS), a project of the UH and the �鶹��ý teamed up with local media communications company Hyperspective to produce a short video explaining how modern biocontrol research is conducted.

Not the mongoose

“It’s projects like this that highlight the university’s role in facilitating collaboration, research and outreach to address cross-sector issues, like invasive species in �鶹��ý,” said Shaya Honarvar, director of the Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit. “This video does a great job of clearly explaining the concepts, while still being engaging and short enough to watch in a single viewing.”

As part of its research tracking public awareness and opinions in invasive species issues, CGAPS found that although the majority of those polled (78%) said they somewhat or strongly support the use of biocontrol that has passed environmental and regulatory testing, only a handful of the 500 survey respondents could name a single successful biocontrol project. Nine percent even said, “mongoose.”

“A successful, host-specific biocontrol works 24 hours per day, seven days a week, without impacting the environment or other species. It’s definitely not the mongoose,” said David Smith, administrator of the Division of Forestry and Wildlife. “We’re happy to partner with CGAPS to put this video together and get the word out about biocontrol as an important invasive species management tool.”

Funding for this project was provided to CGAPS by the .

�鶹��ý’s critical shortage of affordable dwellings will get a boost from a grant. Part one of the $250,000 grant will fund the design and build of a prototype Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU), through a partnership involving the , the state and the .

This is the first time �鶹��ý has been awarded one of these grants and it was one of 34 projects funded from 119 proposals.

The new prototype ADU will expand the exciting work of the UH Albizia Project. On the UH ����ԴDz� campus, a structure built from albizia is in the final stages of completion. It was constructed as a proof-of-concept of a single-family low-income shelter made from albizia, reconceptualizing the invasive species as a useful building material. It utilizes a design-build process that integrates state-of-the-art wood engineering technology and digital fabrication to pilot a �鶹��ý-based system of sustainable wood structures.

The UH Albizia Project is the fruition of architecture graduate Joey Valenti’s vision. Today, Valenti is the project leader for the newly formed �鶹��ý Wood Utilization Team, a collaboration of state, university, public and private wood industry experts.

• Related UH News story: Full-sized albizia house a model of innovation and sustainability at UH, April 22, 2018

“In addition to the abundant supply of albizia, �鶹��ý has millions of board feet of harvestable wood from other tree species, that thus far has not enjoyed much of a market because of the lack of local, large-scale processing facilities and the high cost of shipping lumber out-of-state,” said Valenti. “If we can begin to utilize our excess timber resources for housing, it’ll be a win-win for our communities and for our forests.”

Nationwide, the U.S. Forest Service is awarding almost $8 million in grants for projects in 20 states to expand and accelerate wood products and wood energy markets. The grants are intended to stimulate the removal of hazardous fuels from forests and reduce the risk of wildfires, promote overall forest health and reduce forest management costs.

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