If you see this kind of insect, better crush it or feed it to birds!
Why?
Because red palm weevils (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus), which are originally came from the tropical countries of Asia, is said to be the culprit in destroying palm plantations across the globe as they have a voracious appetite for palm trees like coconut palm, date palm and oil palm.Though the larvae of this beetle are considered as a delicacy and being cultured in some parts of South East Asia, governments had imposed measures to discourage this practice to curb the impact of losses brought by red palm weevil infestation.
Here is a brief account from various sources in the internet on how Asian palm weevil spread and reached its destructive potentials worldwide:
"Originally from tropical Asia, the red palm weevil has spread to Africa and Europe, reaching the Mediterranean in the 1980s. It was first recorded in Spain in 1994, and in France in 2006. Additional infestations have been located in Malta, Italy (Tuscany, Sicily, Campania, Sardinia, Lazio, Marche, Puglia and Liguria), Croatia and Montenegro. It is also well established throughout most of Portugal, especially in the South. It also has established in Morocco, Tunisia, and other North African countries. The weevil was first reported in the Americas on Curaçao in January 2009 and sighted the same year in Aruba. It was reported in the United States at Laguna Beach, California late in 2010 but this was a misidentification of the closely related species, Rhynchophorus vulneratus, and it did not become established."
See how this insect rapidly spread through out the world? Very fast, isn't it? So if I were you, do not hesitate to take the life of this insect and think of the numerous palm plantations that you will be saving once you are able to get rid a species of this destructive critter. Make your move before it's too late!