Farmers in northern Malaita have called on the Solomon Islands government for help to eradicate the rhinoceros beetle.
The public broadcaster reported the beetle was sighted last year by farmers who feared the pest would kill coconut plantations and set back copra production.
A spokesman for the Ward Eight Farmers Association Samson Eric Lifuasi said authorities needed to support control measures and to formulate a plan to stop the beetle spreading to other provinces.
Last year, the Australian company Kokonut Pacific reported a renewed infestation of rhinoceros beetle in the Solomons was killing large palm trees.
Control measures in the region were launched by the Pacific community in conjunction with AgResearch New Zealand, which use beetle pheromones to attract the insects into traps.
A male oryctes rhinoceros Photo: John Ska