Alien pests risk fewer inspectors upon entry

State budget woes cut defenses against invasive species

By AUDREY McAVOY / ASSOCIATED PRESS

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 23, 2012

~~<p>Cuts in the number of inspectors who check cargo and passengers entering Hawaii have some worried that more pests will get established in a state that is especially vulnerable because of its subtropical weather and few natural predators.</p>
<p>Hawaii has a history of non-native animals and bugs that established a foothold and then spread, from the mongoose, which has helped drive native birds to the brink of extinction, to a Central African beetle that is destroying coffee crops.</p>
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Cuts in the number of inspectors who check cargo and passengers entering Hawaii have some worried that more pests will get established in a state that is especially vulnerable because of its subtropical weather and few natural predators.

Hawaii has a history of non-native animals and bugs that established a foothold and then spread, from the mongoose, which has helped drive native birds to the brink of extinction, to a Central African beetle that is destroying coffee crops. Login for more...