Question: Where can I send an insect I found in my yard for identification? I have never seen this insect before, but it looks like the beetle that they were talking about a few weeks ago.

Answer: The state Department of Agriculture advises calling its Pest Hotline at 643-7378 to report any unusual or unfamiliar insects.

The hotline will be answered by a plant quarantine inspector, who will try to answer any questions directly, explained insect taxonomist Bernarr Kuma­shiro.

However, if needed, the calls will be forwarded to an appropriate person, such as Kuma­shiro, a plant quarantine insect specialist, neighbor island entomologists or others.

You may be asked to provide a sample or a digital photo, Kuma­shiro said.

The Agriculture Department’s Plant Pest Control Branch has a staff of two: one in the Insect Taxonomy Unit and one in the Plant Pathology Unit.

They are involved in making hundreds of identifications, most done in-house with available resources, but also involving consultations within the state or, for more difficult cases, with the Systematic Entomology Laboratory in Maryland.

The coconut rhinoceros beetle you are referring to was first detected on Oahu on Dec. 23 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam during routine surveys. So far, the infestation on Oahu is confined to that military facility, Kuma­shiro said.

The state and federal departments of agriculture are leading a coordinated effort, with help from other agencies, to survey the immediate and adjacent areas, using a variety of traps, he said. As of last week, 55 adults, 250 larvae and 16 pupae had been detected.

The coconut rhinoceros beetle is of concern because of the damage it does to coconut and other palm plants.

The adult beetles are dark brown and 11⁄4 to 21⁄2 inches long. The larvae are white with a brown head.

Question: Does the Internal Revenue Service just call your home phone to look for someone they claim they are investigating? I had a phone call from a Jason Curtis, who claimed he was from the IRS looking for my father. The phone number he left was 425-214-0745. He gave me an ID number but wouldn’t tell me which office I could reach him at. His English was not very clear.

Answer: You were right to be suspicious. An Internet search showed people in other parts of the country complaining about calls from that number.

The IRS has issued warnings about scammers, saying it does not contact people by email or social media to request personal or financial information or to notify them of an audit, refund or investigation.

It warns that scammers also might use phone calls, faxes, websites and even in-person contacts.

Last October the IRS issued a warning “about a sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants.”

The targets are told they owe money to the IRS, which must be paid through a debit card or wire transfer. If they refuse, they are threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license.

The scammers use fake names, generally common names, and IRS badge numbers; may be able to give the last four digits of a Social Security number; and spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller IDto make it appear the IRS is calling.

The IRSsays if you receive a scam call, report it to the Treasury inspector general for the Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.

You are advised to also contact the Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov. Click on “file a complaint” then add “IRS Telephone Scam” under “other.”

Go to www.irs.gov/uac/report-phishing to report any phishing scams (involving electronic media).

Mahalo

To the kind strangers who responded quickly and compassionately when they saw me trip and fall on the Malia Street sidewalk. They, particularly Paulette, comforted me while we awaited an ambulance. My thanks also to Kahala Nui staff who also responded and to the EMTs and Kaiser Medical Center emergency room staff.

— Beth Madinger

———
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.