In Hawaiʻi, widely considered the invasive species capital of the world, residents are stepping up to help state officials gain a better sense of the impact of pests such as coqui frogs and coconut rhinoceros beetles.
That’s according to the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council, which fielded at least 1,995 reports of suspected sightings of invasive species from the public over the last year — a more-than 800% increase since 2014.
The coconut rhinoceros beetle, known as CRB, was the most commonly reported pest, according to almost 1,600 reports made to the 643Pest Network. The network, which takes public calls and online reports, has received accounts of 490 unique species, from Cuban brown snails to giant African snails, coqui frogs and cane toads. And it’s only a fraction of the thousands of alien pests established throughout Hawaiʻi…