Invasive beetle found in Cape Town

 Lelethu Mpotywa | Cape Town residents have been warned that a tree infested with the invasive polyphagous shot hole borer beetle (PSHB) was found.

The infested tree is a boxelder and is situated on private property in Newlands.

Surrounding property owners are advised to inspect trees on their properties as a matter of urgency.

We are extremely concerned about this latest sighting in Newlands as to date we have managed to contain the invasive Asian borer beetle in the Somerset West area with the assistance and cooperation of residents Eddie Andrews, Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment

Officials from the City's Invasive Species Unit are currently on site to assess the situation to determine the extent of the infestation and the number of affected trees. The City is assisting the owner with the handling of the biomass. The wood from the tree must be chipped on site and carefully removed under cover of heavy-duty plastic and incinerated at an appropriate site. Eddie Andrews, Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment

The City will only know how many trees have been infested once the assessment has been concluded.

For now, we can confirm that at least one Boxelder is impacted.

I encourage residents in the Newlands area to please inspect the trees on their properties for possible beetle infestations, in particular boxelders. Sightings must be reported to the City as soon as possible so that we can prevent the spreading. More information is available on the City's website, as well as a form to report sightings. By working together we can contain this beetle Eddie Andrews, Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment

More about the PSHB beetle

The beetle is the size of a sesame seed, approximately 2mm in length

It is an ambrosia beetle native to Southeast Asia

It was first discovered in South Africa in 2017 on London plane trees in KwaZulu-Natal's National Botanical Gardens in Pietermaritzburg.

The beetle is invading and poses a threat to exotic and indigenous trees across South Africa

Lifecycle of the PSHB beetle

The female beetle carries with her three species of fungi, including the pathogen, Fusarium euwallaceae

The adult females burrow into trees to establish brood galleries where they lay their eggs.

What to do

Burning of the infected wood is the preferred method.

Chipping the wood into small pieces for composting is also recommended as the heat build-up in the composting process will kill the beetle.

Once the tree has been felled the debris should be cleared as soon as possible and if required, the area should be sanitised.

Best practice protocol

The Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer Protocol is useful for identifying, pruning, cutting down, removing and disposing of infected PSHB wood.

Experiences in California, Israel, and closer to home – in Gauteng, have shown that the PSHB beetle can easily spread across suburbs if extra precaution is not taken.

Apart from infested wood, the 2mm borer beetle can also spread through clothing, vehicle crevices or unclean horticultural equipment.

The following trees are invaded

Alien trees infested to date include London plane trees, Liquidamber, Japanese maples, Chinese maples, pin oaks, and English oaks

Indigenous trees invaded to date include the Coast Coral tree, Forest Bushwillow, and the Cape willow

How to report PSHB beetle sightings:

Information about the borer beetle is available on the City's website; included are photos of infected trees and what symptoms to look out for:

Use the following link: https://www.capetown.gov.za/City-Connect/Activities-and-programmes/Nature-and-environment/invasive-species-programme, click on 'Invasive Tree Bug Awareness Notice' for more information.

There is also a link to report a sighting to the City.

Just give your details and the location of the infected tree and officials from the City's Invasive Species Unit will conduct an investigation.

This article first appeared on CapeTalk : Invasive beetle found in Cape Town