The CRB Threat
The Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB) is devastating palm trees across Hawaii. This invasive beetle bores into the crowns of palms, destroying new fronds, weakening the tree, and eventually killing it. Without protection, most coconut and palm trees in infested areas will die.
CRB Defense Wax Cups were developed to give tree owners a practical, natural way to protect their palms. By placing essential-oil-infused beeswax in the frond crevices where CRB enters, each tree gets months of continuous protection from a single application.
“I’ve been in the CRB trenches for years and nothing has stopped the beetles like these wax cups.”
— Eli, Oahu Green Tree Trimmers
CRB Defense Wax Cups
Natural Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Repellent. Designed for slow release of CRB-deterrent essential oils.
Active Ingredients: Clove Oil (Eugenol), Cedarwood Oil (Cedrol-rich)
Other Ingredients: Beeswax, Mineral Oil, Zinc Oxide (UV blocker), and Vit E (antioxidant)
How They Work: Research in Hawaii has shown that certain essential oils repel and can kill CRB. However, oils applied directly to trees evaporate within a week or two. CRB Defense Wax Cups solve this problem by embedding the essential oils in beeswax, which releases them slowly over a period of months. The wax cups are placed in the crevices between fronds and the tree trunk — the entry points CRB normally uses to bore into the crown.
Application: 10 to 20 wax cups per tree, depending on tree type and size. Replace every 3 months for continuous protection. The wax stays in place and continues protecting the tree. Beetles most often bore into palms right where the wax is. They are then repelled and fly away to find an unprotected palm.
Directions for Use
- Ideally, trim the tree of all fruit and flowers before application.
- Push the wax out of the cup by squeezing the sides.
- Smush the wax into the crevice where each frond meets the trunk.
- Replace every 3 months for best results.
- For best results, combine with other deterrents such as netting and management of CRB breeding material.
Regulatory Information
This product has not been registered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. CRB Defense Hawaii represents that this product qualifies for exemption from registration under EPA's Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Section 25(b) as a minimum risk pesticide.
Precautionary Statements: For outdoor use only. Keep out of reach of children and pets. Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
Won't Injecting my Palms with Insecticides Save Them?
A common misconception is that if you inject your trees with insecticides that it will repel CRB. Actually what happens is the CRB still come to the tree and munch on the heart of the palm, until they have injested enough poison to die or get sick. They then die in place, fall out of the tree, or fly away. Other CRB then come to the same tree and also munch on the heart, leading to cumulative damage. Tree trimmers we have talked to say that injected trees often don't do well, probably because they are still being munched on. In this sense, injected trees are essentially "sacrificial" trees, dying for the benefit of other trees in the area.
Thus, injected trees also need to have their crowns protected so that CRB are repelled in the first place.
Order CRB Defense Wax Cups
CRB Defense Wax Cups
Bag of 15 cups — $30.00
Free local pickup in Kailua. If you need shipping, let us know in the comments and we will compute the shipping fee.