Oryctes in commercially packaged soil, Guam-Saipan

March 2017. On March 29, 2017 vigilant PPQ officers on Saipan intercepted coconut rhinoceros beetles (CRB) in a shipment of 12 palettes of commercially packaged soil imported from Guam. Movement of CRB in packaged soil products is a well documented pathway for inter and intra-island spread of CRB. Here’s a recent article on this topic:

https://scholarspace.manoa. hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/ 42743/1/PHES48_21-22.pdf

Regulatory agencies should be urged to prohibit importation of packed soil products from islands infested with CRB.