Off The News: A beetle that attacks coconut trees

Imagine Hawaii without coconut palms. That’s the future that Kunia’s Coastline Landscape and Nursery general manager George Fleming warns of as he witnesses the damaging onslaught of the invasive coconut rhinoceros beetle, which has already devastated coconut trees on Guam.

The beetle, first detected on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in December 2013, is now found throughout Oahu. House Bill 1149, allocating $1.44 million over two years to state control operations, passed out of committee Friday, but experts estimate a cost of $5 million to $10 million annually to eradicate the invader. Perhaps federal — and military — assistance is justified?