Government moves to stop exotic beetle outbreak

The federal government is calling for help after authorities discovered dangerous beetles that could wreak havoc on the nation's hardwood and softwood industry.

The beetles - the Asian and mulberry longhorn and Japanese sawyer beetles - were found in containers carrying imported gypsum plasterboard from China in May.

If an outbreak occurs, the pests could devastate Australia's hardwood, pine and horticultural industries as well as parklands and home gardens.

The Department of Agriculture has tracked down all 337 containers they arrived in - except for a "very small" number in Adelaide.

There is no evidence of an outbreak but Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce is calling on anyone who's received imports in pallets from China to contact his department.

The beetles could cause hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to industry, he said.