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.

The 643Pest Hotline was created in 2006 to help state authorities get a better handle on the plight of invasive species. The network, which added online reporting in 2015, is now considered an integral part of the state’s work on biosecurity and invasive species control. 

The Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council rolled out a new data dashboard this month, focused on 32 pests, intended to give the residents of each island a sense of what their neighbors are seeing. 

Beetles are by far the most commonly reported pest. In addition to CRB, the third-most reported species was the oriental flower beetle, a bug whose larva is often confused for those of the larger CRB. 

The rhinoceros beetle is known for killing palm species but has in recent years been found to attack other important plants — from kalo, or taro, to bananas. The invasive pest was introduced in 2014, but it remained on Oʻahu for several years. Then reports spiked between 2021 and 2023, a period when the beetle’s destruction became impossible to ignore on Oʻahu and its larvae were found on Maui and Kauaʻi. 

But in 2023, CRB accounted for 47% of all reports, predominantly on Oʻahu. The reports followed a spike in public education and interest, as the scarab beetle’s damage became more visually obvious across the island. There was also a push to get people involved, said Patrick Chee, interim invasive species coordinator for the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife.

That push has likely resulted in more people becoming aware of the opportunity to report pests in recent years. “I see it referred to more on social media and regular media too,” Chee said. Oʻahu is by far the most active island for reporting, though that is largely due to population density, he added.

The data shows there has been a steep decline in CRB reports since 2023, partly because some might have come to see the pests as entrenched, and therefore a lost cause. That’s why little fire ants and coqui frog reports on the Big Island are a rarity, says 643Pest.org’s manager Elizabeth Speith.

A general lack of data makes it difficult to track the most pervasive pests’ geographic footprints in the islands, but the reporting data is useful for state officials and invasive species groups, who can use it to detect new species early and track their spread.

“It’s like a smoke alarm that lets us know where we can look and what areas need information fast,” Speith said.

Bugs account for the majority of invasives reported since 2014, followed by vertebrates. Plants, fungi and pathogens account for a small fraction of the thousands of reports, totaling just under 400 reports since 2014. 

The data doesn’t account for calls made to the 643Pest phone line, which goes directly to the agriculture department. The agency received 352 phone reports in fiscal year 2025, for everything from opossums at big box stores to a ball python in Kaimukī. 

More than one third of reports were referred to relevant agencies to address, such as the state Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity. 

Just under half of the reports made to 643Pest were for species that had already established themselves and couldn’t be eradicated. And 11% of all submissions remain unresolved. But experts say that is most likely because the people reporting the pests submitted incomplete or inconclusive information, or because they failed to follow up with the agency’s staff. 

“If 643Pest people reach back to you, please actually answer their questions. We’re not trying to get you,” Chee said. “We’re just trying to make sure it is what it is, what you reported.”

“Data Dive” is supported in part by the Will J. Reid Foundation. “Hawai‘i Grown” is funded in part by grants from the Stupski Foundation, Ulupono Fund at the Hawai‘i Community Foundation and the Frost Family Foundation.