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An invasive beetle afflicting Hawaii island needs stronger interdiction from the federal government, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz warned last week.
Schatz on Thursday called for more efforts to eradicate the Australian longhorn beetle, A. aesthetica, a threat to cacao plantations and kukui and breadfruit trees.
In a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt, Schatz said, “The threat to U.S. agriculture and Hawai‘i’s environment justifies immediate, strong intervention from the federal government in order to prevent harm to the U.S. economy and federally managed lands in Hawai‘i — especially while the threat of A. aesthetica is still confined to a fairly limited area on Hawai‘i Island.”
The beetle, which arrived in September 2013, burrows through the trunks of trees, ultimately killing them. If the beetle spreads to the U.S. mainland, it would threaten the $3.85 billion citrus industry, Schatz said.
