{"id":3863,"date":"2022-09-29T02:15:25","date_gmt":"2022-09-29T07:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.charlesconklin.com\/4cambodia\/?p=3863"},"modified":"2022-09-29T02:40:33","modified_gmt":"2022-09-29T07:40:33","slug":"big-bad-beetle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.charlesconklin.com\/4cambodia\/2022\/big-bad-beetle\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Bad Beetle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This morning I found a delightful rhinoceros beetle in our courtyard that must have been knocked down from it’s perch by the heavy winds and rain caused by Typhoon Noru<\/a> last night. Well, I shouldn’t say delightful because this pest is one of the critters that’s been infesting our poor coconut palm! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Big Bad<\/em> Beetle. (Also very cute.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle<\/strong>, or Asiatic Rhinoceros Beetle<\/a>, is a menace to many types of palms and sparked a crisis when it reached Hawaii in 2013<\/a>. Likely hijacking a ride on air cargo. In 1964, there was even a special United Nations emergency fund through the Southeast Pacific forum<\/a> dedicated to the “eradication of the rhinoceros beetle and related insects in the South Pacific.” Even the United Nations wanted to eradicate this cute not-so-little beetle.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Historical artifact featured at the Mennonite Heritage Center in faraway Harleysville, Pennsylvania.
The Palm trees featured on it are safe from the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It’s been present in Cambodia long enough that there are local solutions to managing it. When we brought it to our landlord’s attention that the fronds on our coconut palm had jagged holes in them and were beginning to die, our landlord’s response was to use insecticid… No, I’m just kidding. This is the man who taught us how to repel pit vipers <\/a>with kaffir limes. He did not use insecticides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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His response was to put sand at the base of the fronds. Apparently the soft joints and underside of the beetle can’t handle the coarse sand. This has proven remarkably effective over the last two years except, of course, during rainy season when the sand is thoroughly washed away by the daily downpours.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

And we’re at the end of rainy season now. In a few weeks, we’ll apply another batch of sand and our long suffering wonderful coconut palm tree will be spared the affronts of rhinoceros beetle attack. At least until the end of next rainy season when the daily rains will have finally washed away the last remnants of sand.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Back in the day we would make the pop culture references,
now the pop culture references itself for us. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The MCC office guard, Pou Cheang, tells me that this is just a little beetle and that they grow to about twice this size. He noted that the beetle’s namesake, it’s curved rhinoceros horn, grows far more pronounced in adulthood.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Even though it’s out to destroy my coconut palm I still think it’s adorable.
Why did you make choose between the coconuts and you?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This morning I found a delightful rhinoceros beetle in our courtyard that must have been knocked down from it’s perch by the heavy winds and rain caused by Typhoon Noru last night. Well, I shouldn’t say delightful because this pest is one of the critters that’s been infesting our poor coconut palm! The Coconut Rhinoceros… <\/p>\n

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