The state Department of Agriculture says the coffee berry borer pest is now on Oahu.

The coffee beetle was discovered last week on Dole Foods farms in Waialua. The bug previously was only found on Hawaii Island.

Samples of the pest were turned into state agriculture officials  Dec. 4 and confirmed as the coffee berry borer by state entomologists. 

The coffee berry borer was first detected in the state in Sept. 2010 in Kona and discovered in Kau in May 2011. The beetle bores into the coffee “cherry” to lay its eggs. The larvae feed on the coffee bean, reducing the yield and quality of the bean.

Federal and state agricultural and Dole officials surveyed Dole’s two Waialua coffee fields, which total 155 acres, and found the beetle throughout the area in varying densities. 

State agriculture officials  will work with Dole Foods to contain the pest.

“We are very concerned with this recent find of coffee berry borer on Oahu,” said Scott Enright, chairman of the Hawaii Board of Agriculture. “We are committed to determining the extent of the infestation and working with the industry and partners in containing and controlling the infestation and determining the source of the infestation.”

“It’s devastating for any farmer when a serious pest like the coffee berry borer hits their farm,” said Neil Reimer, acting administrator of the department’s plant Industry Division. “We appreciate the swift cooperation from Dole Foods and also their concern and support in containing this infestation as soon as possible.”

Since its detection in Kona, Big Island coffee growers have developed methods to manage the pest, which include using an organic pesticide and field sanitation. Some farms with good management practices have been able to keep infestations down to about 20 percent of the coffee crop.

In addition, the state agriculture department issued a quarantine order that requires a permit from the state to transport unroasted coffee beans, coffee plants and plant parts, used coffee bags and coffee harvesting equipment from Hawaii Island to other islands that are not infested with the coffee berry borer.