Kauai reopens Kalapaki beach

Wastewater officials reopened Kalapaki beach on Kauai on Saturday with approval from the Department of Health.

State and county representatives have been monitoring the water quality at the beach since a power outage caused a sewage spill at the Lihue Wastewater Treatment Plant on May 16. The outage appears to have occurred on an internal circuit.

Roughly 400,000 to 500,000 gallons of treated sewage flowed from the plant into a storm drain that leads into the bay, adjacent to Nawiliwili Harbor.

A partial reopening of the beach was approved Tuesday, but beach closure signs remained along the beach fronting the Anchor Cove Shopping Center and Kalapaki Stream. As of Saturday afternoon, all beach closure signs have been removed.

Honeybee threat now statewide

After turning up on Hawaii island, Oahu, Maui and Molokai, the small hive beetle — a serious threat to bees — has been spotted for the first time on Kauai.

According to the state Department of Agriculture, the beetles were discovered on beekeeping equipment in Lihue on Monday.

The beetles, first discovered on Hawaii island in April 2010, grow to about 4 to 5 millimeters in length and turn from yellow-brown to black as they mature. They feed on honey, pollen, wax, eggs, larvae and other material found in honeybee hives. As they feed, the beetles tunnel through the hive, damaging the honeycomb and contaminating the honey. Serious infestations may cause honeybee colonies to abandon hives.

Department of Agriculture staff is surveying and assessing the extent of the infestation on Kauai.