Help! Beetles invasion makes U.S. customs twist & shout

The first Beatles invasion of the U.S. took place in the 1960s. On that occasion the invaders were welcomed with open arms. The latest invaders, however, are not nearly so welcome.

More than two dozen giant beetles have been found by U.S. customs officers in a package from Taiwan.

The insects – some the size of a child’s hand - drew post office workers’ attention when they started scratching inside the box, the Associated Press reports.

The box labelled as toys and gifts arrived last week at a post office in Mohnton, 80 kilometres northwest of Philadelphia.

The suspicious noise from the package made the postmaster believe it could contain living organisms, which was later confirmed by X-ray scanning.

"The specimens were some of the largest of their kind, and some of the largest I've ever seen, averaging five to six inches in diameter," John Plummer, an agency agriculture specialist, said in a statement Wednesday. "They are highly destructive insect pests that can cause extensive damage to fruit and vegetable crops, trees, shrubs and turf grasses."

Some of the beetles had their gender labelled, which could mean they were meant for breeding, a customs agency spokesman said Wednesday.

The authorities have identified both the sender and the recipient of the package.

Importing living bugs into the United States requires a permit from the Department of Agriculture.

These beetles had no such ticket to ride.

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