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posted by janrinok on Monday July 13 2015, @02:13PM   Printer-friendly
from the stop-bugging-me dept.

Guam's war against the coconut rhinoceros beetles, which have ravaged many coconut trees, has become more challenging, an expert said.

At stake in the battle against the beetles is the survival of the remaining coconut trees on the island, which aren't just a source of food. They're also a vital part of Guam's image as a tropical island, the Pacific Daily News reported Sunday.

One challenge that has set back ongoing efforts to try to eradicate the coconut rhinoceros beetles is the recent discovery that the virus Oryctes nudivirus, which is being used as a biological agent to kill the beetles, isn't as effective as expected, said Aubrey Moore, an entomologist, an associate professor at the University of Guam and a leading expert on the issue.

The virus, which attacks only rhinoceros beetles, typically reduces damage caused by coconut rhinoceros beetles by up to 90 percent, and population suppression lasts indefinitely, Moore stated.

But there's a problem with the use of the virus on Guam's beetles. Guam's coconut rhinoceros beetles seemed to have developed an immunity to the virus, so the next step is to try to find a more effective biological control agent, possibly another strain of virus, Moore said.

Researchers at AgResearch, a leading research institute for New Zealand's agriculture industry, and UOG, recently have discovered that the Guam rhinoceros beetles are "genetically different" from other coconut rhinoceros beetle populations and they are resistant to all available strains of (Oryctes nudivirus, or OrNV)," Moore said.


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  • (Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Tuesday July 14 2015, @01:04PM

    by LoRdTAW (3755) on Tuesday July 14 2015, @01:04PM (#208865) Journal

    That I knew. But even though they are US territories, they still have their own local government and economy. I got lost googling about living on Guam and the first thing that came up was an FAQ page about a couple who moved to guam: http://iquitmyjobandmovedtoguam.com/category/moving-to-guam-2/ [iquitmyjobandmovedtoguam.com]. One thing that they point out is their infrastructure is not on par with the rest of the US. So the power goes out, trash collection is severely lacking and water even turns off in some parts. It also suffers from the highest rate of people living below the poverty line in the US. On the outside it appears to be paradice. But upon closer inspection, it isn't all that pretty.

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