A number Alberton North trees, all older than 40 years are under attack by a beetle called a Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer.
Trees under attack by these bugs are left lifeless. The beetles has a symbiotic relationship with the fungus (Fusarium Euwallaceae) which serves as a food source for them.
The beetle that carries this fungus causes devastation, made worse by global warming as it continues to be a major concern worldwide.
Chairperson of Alberton Heritage Society Beverley-Ann Small told the RECORD this was a problem of great concern.
“We thought the marks on the tree, which look like a bullet hole, were as a result of winter.
“This beetle comes from Indonesia. Our country doesn’t have this insect,” she said.
She said due to attack from this beetle, Eight Avenue Street may lose about 35 trees due to contamination.
She warned that contaminated trees should not be used as firewood as this would allow the fungi to spread to other living trees.
Given Khosa, from the Alberton Parks Department, said: “We will visit the street this upcoming week to inspect the trees in order to ascertain if the problem is treatable or not.”
About the beetle
The beetles can attack a wide range of living exotic and indigenous trees.
In vulnerable trees, the fungus slowly kills the tree, according to Polyphagous Shothole Borer (PSHB) Beetle.
First, the tree’s vascular system begins to fail, the leaves begin to thin on the ends of branches, eventually turning brown, leading to the branch, and eventually the tree, dying.
The PHSB was discovered for the first time in South Africa by the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (Fabi) research team in 2017.
Since then, this beetle and its fungus have been destroying trees in all provinces in South Africa, except Mpumalanga.
The beetles attack agricultural and forestry crops, street and garden trees and several native tree species.
The female beetle carries several fungal species, one of which is Fusarium euwallaceae which infests new trees.
It bores through the bark into the sapwood of the tree and inoculates the fungus into the living wood.
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