LIHU‘E — A Kaua‘i-based specialist has been recognized for his work protecting the island from the harmful effects of invasive species.
The Hawai‘i Invasive Species Council named University of Hawai‘i College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Assistant Extension Agent Dr. Roshan Manandhar as Kaua‘i MVP on March 1, at the close of Hawai‘i Invasive Species Awareness Month in February.
“I’m very thankful. It’s an honor for me, and I’m a little bit pumped up,” Manandhar told The Garden Island.
Manandhar, who specializes in integrated pest management, holds a doctorate in entomology from UH. On Kaua‘i, he coordinates responses to emerging threats, consults landowners and farmers, and conducts surveys across the island.
Rose-ringed parakeets are Kaua‘i‘s most-serious invasive species, according to Manandhar, who was confronted by the green-bodied, orange-beaked birds when he began his current job in 2018.
The parakeets are notoriously destructive and long-lived agricultural pests. They were introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in the 1960s as pets, according to HISC.
“It’s difficult to recommend a control method, because parakeets are very intelligent,” Manandhar said. “You do one thing today, they learn. They know you.”
Manandhar also helmed local responses to coffee berry borer and coffee leaf rust, which were detected on the island in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Working with groups including the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture and the Kaua‘i Invasive Species Committee, Manandhar and his colleagues eliminated infected plants and educated the public following the pests’ arrivals on Kaua‘i (the CBB/CLR Response Planning Team still meets on a monthly basis).
The extension agent can also be found at farms across the island, surveying for invasives. He combs Lihu‘e Airport and Nawiliwili Harbor, too, for pests not yet detected on Kaua‘i.
“I will need to survey for Lantana camara — it’s a weed — sometime very soon,” Manandhar said. “And also a type of gall fly.”
The work has led to discoveries and experiments.
Manandhar was the first to detect Oriental yellow scale on Kaua‘i, in a Kekaha papaya field. He and his team ultimately eliminated the pestilential insect.
The entomologist is also investigating the use of bigheaded ants to combat termites infesting a Moloa‘a citrus grove.
“They’re a little bit aggressive, and they try to fight with those termites,” he said of the ants.
Manandhar used a substance fortified with sugar to attract the groves’ ants to infected trees.
“I can see they are disturbing the termites, but I don’t know if they will displace the termites,” he said. “That’s the next step.”
In the meantime, Manandhar has plenty of other work to do. He hosts virtual “mini-conferences” featuring invasive-species experts from across Hawai‘i and the U.S. mainland, and when visited by The Garden Island on Monday, a bucket of weevil-infected sweet potatoes rested upon his office desk, awaiting inspection.
“I’m hoping to fulfill all the expectations from people,” he said when discussing his new MVP status. “I thank the Kaua‘i community, especially KISC, for nominating me for this award.”
Correction: This story was updated to correct that Manandhar’s work in CLR/CBB response planning was with the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture, not the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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Scott Yunker, reporter, can be reached at 245-0437 or syunker@thegardenisland.com.
