News and Events


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Compost That

Compost That 9 August 2017

Compost That

Cooperative Extension faculty addressed green and brown farm waste at a Hands-On Composting Workshop they organized with Organic Matters Hawai‘i in Kona.

Pine-ing Away

Pine-ing Away 9 August 2017

Pine-ing Away

Brent Sipes, PEPS, recently trained a group of ethnic-minority Garo people on environmentally sound and safe pineapple cultivation in rural Bangladesh.

Funded on Maui

Funded on Maui 3 August 2017

Funded on Maui

Maui County has funded eight CTAHR projects for FY18, from control of Axis deer and fruit flies to evaluation of taro varieties and expansion of turmeric to youth bee-keeping workshops.

A Waimanalo Welcome

A Waimanalo Welcome 3 August 2017

A Waimanalo Welcome

8/3/2017 - The Waimanalo Research Station hosted UH President/UH Manoa Chancellor David Lassner on July 28.  He was greeted with chants by Malama Honua Charter School students, who use the site, and with a welcome from from Interim Dean Rachel Novotny and Malama Honua Executive Director Herb Lee.

KIDS COUNT

KIDS COUNT 15 June 2017

KIDS COUNT

June - 2017

Center on the Family announces release of Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual KIDS COUNT Data Book for Hawai‘i, which uses 16 indicators to rank the state on what children need to thrive.

4-H for Hawai‘i

4-H for Hawai‘i 8 June 2017

4-H for Hawai‘i

It's not just livestock

Beyond livestock, 4-H promotes youth well-being, leadership skills, community engagement, and STEM activities, says state coordinator Jeff Goodwin.

The Bee’s Knees

The Bee’s Knees 7 June 2017

The Bee’s Knees

Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences’s Scott Nikaido explains the importance of pollinators to Hawai‘i crops and how people can support pollinator health by using fewer insecticides and more pollinator-friendly plants.

Prepared Youth

Prepared Youth 17 May 2017

Prepared Youth

Hawai‘i is the second state that trained adults to instruct kids in a youth preparedness national pilot project. 3 4-H agents were certified through the Hawai‘i Youth Preparedness Initiative.

A Web Winner

A Web Winner 11 May 2017

A Web Winner

Hawai‘i Association of County Agricultural Agents nominated Andrea Kawabata for their national organization’s Communications Award for her coffee berry borer beetle website.

GoFarm Grows

4 May 2017

GoFarm Grows

The GoFarm Hawai‘i beginning farmer training program received new grants from the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture, Hawai‘i Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, and Kamehameha Schools.

Prevent the Parasite

4 May 2017

Prevent the Parasite

With new cases of rat lungworm reported in the Islands, Extension Agent Jari Sugano was featured on Hawaii News Now offering some tips on reducing the risk of the disease.

Gut Feeling

Gut Feeling 4 May 2017

Gut Feeling

GoFarm and Ag Incubator alumnus and entrepreneur Rob Barreca and graduate student Surely Wallace promoted fermented foods in a recent Honolulu Star-Advertiser article.

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3 November 2022

Zero Dark Twolined

Extension develops an app to manage the Twolined Spittlebug

Zero Dark Twolined

By the time it was discovered in Hawaiʻi in 2016, this invasive pest had already damaged 2,000 acres of rangeland. A scant eight generations later, the Twolined Spittlebug (TLSB) had expanded its range to more than 176,000 acres.

In highly infested areas where nymph density exceeded 50/m2, the result was nearly 100% die back of key range forages, including Kikuyu and pangola grasses – and their loss exposed the land to invasive plants like Pamakani, wild blackberry, and fireweed. Livestock producers faced devastating economic losses.

Fast forward to today. Extension’s Twolined Spittlebug Team has released “Twolined Spittlebug Tool,” a new reporting and decision-support tool for the management of TLSB in Hawaiʻi. The smartphone app allows users to learn about and correctly identify TLSB, giving landowners the ability to locate, map, and manage outbreaks on their land. Users can also assist Extension, as citizen-scientists, by using the app’s reporting tool to geolocate sightings of the pest.

“The app has four main features,” explains Mark Thorne. “First, an information guide that provides an overview of TLSB biology and ecology. Next, it helps users identify TLSB in the field and distinguish it from other, non-pest species. Third, users can report sightings of TLSB. Fourth, it allows users to determine the size of the TLSB population, and then, based on the potential damage threshold calculated, select from a series of integrated pest management decisions.”

The team, which includes Mark Wright, Shannon Wilson, Daniel Peck, and Melelani Oshiro, notes the reports include a geo-referenced picture and basic details about the habitat and geographical location of the pest. The reported data is then captured in a database and displayed on a web-based mapping tool. Users have the option to enter data on TLSB population density and provide estimates on spatial extent and observed damage in their report. Data on TLSB populations is determined by following sampling protocols provided in the fourth tool.

“We spent two years drafting content and working with developers to get the app released, and we’re confident it will facilitate tracking and documenting the spread of this pest and lead to better pest management decisions for rangeland managers,” says Mark.  

To keep track of TLSB sightings, the team has created an administrative TLSB website that displays a map of TLSB sighting reports by app users.

Visit the Google Play store or Apple store to download the app.