The City of Cape Town last week confirmed that samples taken from a Boxelder tree on a private property in Oakdale, Bellville, tested positive for the invasive Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer beetle (PSHB).
This latest infestation is the first to be recorded in this area and is of great concern. Residents in the area as well as City Nature Reserve visitors can expect to be approached with urgent surveys, which will assist the City with the crucial planning on how to further deal with the borer beetle and its impact.
Door-to-door surveys
“At this point, we cannot confirm the number of infested trees in the Oakdale area as our team will have to conduct surveys to determine the extent of the spread. I am urging all private land owners in Bellville to urgently inspect the trees on their properties for symptoms and to contact us immediately should any of these be visible on any trees,” urges the City’s deputy mayor and Mayco member for spatial planning and environment, Eddie Andrews.
The City also needs access to private properties to conduct a full assessment to determine the extent of the infestation in and around Oakdale.
“I therefore ask residents to please give the teams access to their properties so that we can determine the extent of the PSHB infestation. We are extremely concerned about the latest sighting and request the assistance and cooperation of residents and businesses that work with plant material.”
City urges public participation
“The continued loss of trees due to PSHB infestation is something that the City and our residents cannot afford and we will have to work together to curb the spread of this invasive beetle. To this end, the City’s Invasive Species Unit is currently conducting a survey to ascertain the level of awareness amongst residents of the PSHB and its risks, particularly those associated to the use and movement of firewood.”
Andrews says information that will be gathered through this survey will inform some of the City’s important management decisions, including their position on the use of firewood, particularly in the protected areas and other City’s facilities.
Moving plant material, firewood
To prevent or minimise the spread of PSHB, it is important to avoid moving plant material such as firewood from one area to the other and, most importantly, to Protected Areas and public open spaces.
“Firewood should especially not be bought and moved from areas where trees are infested,” warns Andrews.
To date, over 6 000 infested trees have been identified in the Cape. Among these trees, there are highly susceptible reproductive host species such as Boxelder, Weeping Willow and English Oak.
What to look out for and symptoms of infested trees:
Branch dieback – cracks on the branch; discoloured leaves; dry and leafless branches; branch break-off revealing webs of galleries filled with black fungus
Gumming – blobs of goo coming out of the bark; oozing of liquid and gum from the beetle holes
Entry and exit holes – very small holes on the bark of the tree, the size of a sesame seed (2mm); shotgun-like scars developing around the holes
· Staining – brown or dark stains on the bark of the tree
How to report PSHB beetle sightings:
Online, at www.capetown.gov.za/InvasiveSpecies
Call the City of Cape Town’s Invasive Species Unit on 021 444 2357, Monday to Friday, from 07:30 to 16:00
Send an email to: invasive.species@capetown.gov.za
