By Shannon Wilson
Hawai?i is commonly perceived as a tropical paradise comprising beaches, volcanoes, mai tais, and surfing. However, these stereotypes overlook Hawai?i’s rich history of cowboys and cattle ranching. An isolated archipelago in the tropics may seem like an unlikely place for cattle to roam, but Hawai?i has a longstanding ranching culture that even predates the cowboy era of the American west.
Cattle first arrived in the islands in 1793 when Captain George Vancouver gifted them to King Kamehameha I. Killing of these cattle was immediately placed under kapu (taboo). For the next two decades wild cattle roamed freely. These unmanaged herds multiplied and began wreaking havoc on local crops. The kapu was lifted and the Hawaiian monarchy hired vaqueros (Spanish cowboys) from Mexico to teach Hawaiians how to handle cattle and manage the wild herds. By the early 1800s, paniolos (Hawaiian cowboys) developed their own unique ranching practices that incorporated Hawaiian culture and knowledge of the land. Over the following decades the ranching community grew as multi-cultural immigrants began working on ranches. By the early 1900s, pasture-based cattle ranching had developed into a well-established industry.
For over a century, ranchers have managed pastures and helped sustain local agriculture, protect natural resources, and preserve culture and history. Pastures now cover nearly 20 percent of the land area in Hawai?i. Valued at $48 million annually, the present-day beef cattle industry helps support local food and job security. In sum, ranching in Hawai?i is economically, culturally, and ecologically significant.
The majority of the cattle in the state reside on Hawai?i Island (which locals call “Big Island”). Hawai?i Island consists of several microclimates and diverse ecosystems, ranging from dry coastal plains to tropical forests and even alpine mountain summits. Within this unique landscape mosaic, well-managed pastures are an important component and provide several ecosystem services. In the lush rolling hills above the Kohala Coast is Waimea, the heartland of the cattle industry and the home of the paniolo. Waimea’s iconic rolling pastures, adorned with emerald-green grass, have hosted thousands of grazing cattle. This picturesque landscape, framed by the occasionally snowcapped Mauna Kea in the distance and the Pacific Ocean on the horizon, is truly a pasture paradise.
However, in 2016, ranchers in Kona on Hawai?i Island reported patches of dead grass in their pastures. The extent of the damage was alarming. Pastures once dominated by forage grasses were dead, and recovery was sporadic. Extensive pastures of vigorous grasses were now filled with weeds.
Investigators soon discovered the cause: A highly destructive forage grass pest, the twolined spittlebug (Prosapia bicincta), had invaded Hawai?i Island.
Management efforts and research on the twolined spittlebug have since sprung into action. In a new article published in December in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management, my colleagues at the University of Hawai?i, the Hawai?i Department of Agriculture, and Vestaron Corporation and I detail biology of the twolined spittlebug and the latest knowledge on management of this destructive pest.I
Originally from the southeast U.S., the twolined spittlebug (or TLSB, for short) is a major economic pest of turfgrass, forage grass, and sugarcane. This pest is a problem for the landscape trade and rangelands, feeding on the xylem sap of over 40 different host plants. Nymph feeding causes water stress. Adult feeding is the most damaging and interferes with photosynthesis and causes plant tissue death. This reduces forage availability and quality by decreasing productivity, nutritional value, palatability, and digestibility.
Spittlebug management focuses on low-cost practices that reduce habitat suitability and target vulnerable points in the life cycle. Tactics commonly employed against spittlebugs include grazing, plant resistance, burning, raking, mowing, and tilling. The biology and ecology of this bug combined with the extensiveness of Hawai?i pastures make other tactics challenging. Chemical control is not cost-effective in large-scale pastures, and application across entire ranches isn’t feasible on the slopes of volcanoes where machinery is inaccessible. The effectiveness is also limited by the protection of nymphs in the spittle mass and thick thatch layer and the mobility of adults. Controlled burning may be too risky for the nearby native ecosystems. Research on biological control is limited. A naturally occurring fungus has been detected in Kona on adults but is not commercially available. Grazing and the use of resistant grasses will be key components of spittlebug IPM in Hawai?i pastures.
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