Two Canary palm trees have been affected by the ‘picudo rojo’ Red Palm Weevil, in the central park in Málaga. Technicians found the presence of the beetle inside the trees yesterday lunchtime and now the trees are being treated with an insecticide.

The city councillor responsible for parks and gardens, Teresa Porras, has criticised the lack of control of the problem by the Junta de Andalucía. She considers the recent Levante wind of recent days could have brought the beetle to the city.

The red beetle (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) is originally from SE Asia and was first detected in Andalucía in 1995. It lays its larvae in the trunk of palm trees and the damage caused usually leads to the rapid death of the tree.