This morning I found a delightful rhinoceros beetle in our courtyard that must have been knocked down from it’s perch by the heavy winds and rain caused by Typhoon Noru last night. Well, I shouldn’t say delightful because this pest is one of the critters that’s been infesting our poor coconut palm!
The Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle, or Asiatic Rhinoceros Beetle, is a menace to many types of palms and sparked a crisis when it reached Hawaii in 2013. Likely hijacking a ride on air cargo. In 1964, there was even a special United Nations emergency fund through the Southeast Pacific forum dedicated to the “eradication of the rhinoceros beetle and related insects in the South Pacific.” Even the United Nations wanted to eradicate this cute not-so-little beetle.
The Palm trees featured on it are safe from the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle.
It’s been present in Cambodia long enough that there are local solutions to managing it. When we brought it to our landlord’s attention that the fronds on our coconut palm had jagged holes in them and were beginning to die, our landlord’s response was to use insecticid… No, I’m just kidding. This is the man who taught us how to repel pit vipers with kaffir limes. He did not use insecticides.
His response was to put sand at the base of the fronds. Apparently the soft joints and underside of the beetle can’t handle the coarse sand. This has proven remarkably effective over the last two years except, of course, during rainy season when the sand is thoroughly washed away by the daily downpours.
And we’re at the end of rainy season now. In a few weeks, we’ll apply another batch of sand and our long suffering wonderful coconut palm tree will be spared the affronts of rhinoceros beetle attack. At least until the end of next rainy season when the daily rains will have finally washed away the last remnants of sand.
now the pop culture references itself for us.
The MCC office guard, Pou Cheang, tells me that this is just a little beetle and that they grow to about twice this size. He noted that the beetle’s namesake, it’s curved rhinoceros horn, grows far more pronounced in adulthood.
Why did you make choose between the coconuts and you?
Wow, they are such amazing creatures. Luckily they have not found our coconut trees! I’ve only seen one here in Burundi and it was a bit smaller. Glad to know the sand trick, but how do you get up to the top of the coconut tree(s)? Ours are quite tall.
Our coconut palm is quite tall as well. Crystal and I don’t climb them. I would say that we can’t climb them. We are not that talented. Charlotte has been trying but so far six feet is about her maximum.
But our landlord and the MCC office guard – who are both quite a bit older than us – can swiftly ascend up the trunk with nothing more than a krama (Khmer scarf). Their physical ability is humbling and we’re terrified every time that they’ll fall.
Ha! I never knew these critters were invasive. Only saw them once or twice so I guess that’s a good sign.
Wow! Love your attitude!