Department of Agriculture puts forward plan to introduce strawberry guava predator

HONOLULU—The Hawaii Department of Agriculture has posted a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the release of a natural predator (Tectococcus ovatus, a Brazilian scale insect) for the sustainable management of strawberry guava in Hawaii.

This action is proposed to mitigate the impacts of strawberry guava on native forests, the water supply, and agriculture. 

The draft EA is available in the Environmental Notice on the Hawaii Department of Health’s Office of Environmental Quality Control (OEQC) website and will be open for public comment through July 23.

Only written comments will be accepted, and may be submitted to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture Plant Pest Control Branch at 1428 S. King St. Honolulu, HI 96814, with a copy sent to the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife, 1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 325, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813; or emailed to [email protected].

Opponents to an introduction of the insect say there are alternatives, such as increased harvesting and utilization of the strawberry guava plant as a resource for wood chips, biofuel, and fruit and becoming an important part of food and fuel self-sufficiency. According to Biodamage.com, there is the risk of the insect mutating and adapting to attack other plant species.

Conservationists say strawberry guava, when left unchecked, is one of the most aggressive invasive species in Hawaii today and has been responsible for severe damage to Hawaii’s native species for generations.

For more information, visit the OEQC website at http://hawaii.gov/health/environmental/environmental/oeqc/index.html.