Rhinoceros Beetle in Malaysia

For years, Malaysian farmers have dealt with the Oil Palm pest that continues to damage their harvests.

The Rhinoceros Beetle has been observed in Malaysia since 1889, with Malaysia accounting for 28% of the worlds palm oil production (Kamal). It is estimated that 25% of palm oil crop is lost each year due to Rhinoceros Beetle. The Beetle's tend to go after the freshly planted trees, resulting in limited crop yields for the rest of their productive years (Reil et. al.). Palm oil has an economic lifespan of 25 years, so that is 25 years with lower production than is possible.

This map shows where the Rhinoceros Beetle first came to become a nuisance in Malaysia, as well as where research has been done to show the prevalence of the beetle in different parts of Malaysia. The red lines also represent where the largest populations of Oil Palm farms on the Peninsula Malaysia exist. In total, there are about 5.64 million hectares of Oil Palm in Malaysia, 2.65 million of these hectares are on the Malaysian peninsula. Source:  USDA Foreign Agricultural Service 

In the 1990s, Malaysia implemented a no burn policy to limit the amount of haze in Southeastern Asia (Rapisarda & Massimino 271). If not burning the old trees, the palm oil trunks are stripped and then are stacked along the inter rows and are left to rot there. This is a huge breeding ground for the beetles, which then attack and damage the new trees.

Another method of replanting trees is called under planting and is just planting the younger trees on top of the old trees and leaving them to rot upright without proper felling(Rapisarda & Massimino 271). This again is a huge breeding ground for the beetles, which then cause damage to the younger trees.

Management Strategies

The beetles then spread from farm to farm because female beetles are attracted to the smell of the freshly chipped trunk, so they move and breed inside the rotting tree, since there's a no burn policy. There are several potential strategies for limiting the spread of the Rhinoceros Beetle that could be implemented in Malaysia.

There have been previous studies of pheromone traps for research in several Malaysian areas showed that Tangkak has the highest population of beetles (Reil, et al.). It showed that there is not a significant difference between the number of beetles in mature and immature trees. Results showed that there is a highest amount of beetles in replanting sites, so farmers should focus on those areas for population control of the beetles.

Another potential strategy is the use of entomological pathogens. Entomological pathogens, like fungi, have done a good job of killing the beetles (Rapisarda & Massimino 274). There was research conducted on it in the 90s, for potentially using them as a bio-control in Malaysia, but it did not make it past the research stage.

The creation of an Oryctes Drone in Malaysia that has an advanced GPS system that can spot the Rhinoceros Beetle and sprays a pesticide into the center of the tree that kills the beetles that are burrowed inside it (Kamal). While it does not say what pesticide is used, for future use it looks like this is a highly viable option. If funded by the government, there is high potential that this could work to kill the beetles and save the palm oil trees before they are damaged beyond repair.

Finally, there needs to be further management of the old trees, potentially by turning them into lumber, charcoal, or veneering so that the Rhinoceros Beetle has fewer places to inhabit and will act as a population control (Everett). There is also always the option of reversing the no burning act from the 1990's, as this is when the Rhinoceros Beetle population became a major problem.

This is an infographic that illustrates and reiterates the main points of my storymap. The graph on the third slide also represents the potential yield and actual yield from Oil Palm trees, largely due to the effects the Rhinoceros Beetle has on the young trees.

Conclusions

Malaysia should reconsider allowing the burning of old Oil Palm trees to limit the spread and amount of Rhinoceros Beetles that are causing harm to their farms. There would need to be more limitations regarding the amount of burning allowed, but it would be a start to getting the beetle population control. Another outlet that has potential to be life changing is the use of Oryctes Drone. This drone would directly kill the beetles so that they cannot spread to more farms. However, there needs to be government backing and financial support so that this widely accessible to Malaysian farmers. Overall, there are many strategies that have the potential to limit the population of Rhinoceros Beetles in Malaysia, it's now up to the government to help their citizens and support their oil palm farmers.

Works Cited

Everett, Wendy. Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Tearing through Solomon Islanders' 'Tree of Life'. ABC News, 12 Mar. 2018,  www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-11/rhinocerous-beetle- threatens-solomon-islands-coconut-palms/9532824.

Kamel, Harizah. Local Developments Needed to Spur Tech Scene. The Malaysian Reserve, 25 Aug. 2020, themalaysianreserve.com/2020/08/26/local-developments-needed-to-spur-tech-scene/.

Rapisarda, Carmelo, and Massimino, Giuseppe E. Integrated Pest Management in Tropical Regions. CABI. 2017. pp. 271-274.

Reil, Jonathan Bradley, Doorenweerd, Camiel, San Jose, Michael, Sim, Sheina B, Geib, Scott M, and Rubinoff, Daniel. "Transpacific Coalescent Pathways of Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Biotypes: Resistance to Biological Control Catalyses Resurgence of an Old Pest." Molecular Ecology 27.22 (2018). Web.

This is an infographic that illustrates and reiterates the main points of my storymap. The graph on the third slide also represents the potential yield and actual yield from Oil Palm trees, largely due to the effects the Rhinoceros Beetle has on the young trees.