(A heads-up: beetle grubs appear in this episode, in case you’d rather not see them.)
Today I want to introduce an invasive beetle here in Hawaii. Hawaii is made up of islands, and many living things, plants included, are found only here, so the rules against bringing in non-native species are very strict. When an invasive species turns up, it’s a big deal (though there are plenty anyway). There are no snakes here, and no pets like hamsters that might escape and multiply.
The coconut rhinoceros beetle
This is the coconut rhinoceros beetle, a non-native beetle that lives on coconut palms. Its horn is really tiny. Can you see it? Cute! It drills holes all over Hawaii’s coconut palms and does tremendous damage. An extermination team goes around removing them, but they can’t keep up. So today I went digging, and grubs came out by the dozen. They look just like any beetle grub: squishy and very cute. Being invasive, they really should be reported, but there are so many around our farm that there’s no end to it. So the chickens are going to help with pest control!
Grub time
A blue bucket they’ve never seen. What could it be? Cho grabbed one and ran, ran, ran, and something was being torn apart over there. Some were spooked by the size. Silence. Even Balloon, our bug master, was a little nervous. Oh, Sonata grabbed one! Mint’s face is amazing! Then, unexpectedly, Sonata ran off with it. Somehow the little ones were braver. A huge tug-of-war broke out, but the grubs were big for the old ladies.
Nazoko got one! Go, go! Oh, it got stolen. Nazoko, you’re too fired up! Eat up, it’ll make you strong. Glico joins in! Wow, Nazoko is mad. Eating just one is going to take a while.
The guinea fowl gathered around the bucket I’d left outside, so I brought out a medium-sized grub. As expected of a guinea fowl… oh, stolen! Luna is running away with it! Usually treats are too small; today they’re too big! Marron, surprised? It’s a bug! Beetle grubs look delicious, don’t they? Too big? Oh, taken! The chickens born and raised around here react differently; they know exactly what’s good to eat. Chico is more excited than I expected. Maybe Chico has seen one before? Hang in there, Mint, that mouth of yours can handle it! A bit clumsy, though.
They’re a little big for chickens, but everyone seems to be having fun, and that’s what matters. Next time I’ll look for some smaller ones. After the storm passed, we saw some unusual clouds.
Thank you for watching Chicken Paradise Hawaii! See you in the next episode.