| Borer beetle pest confirmed in Cape Town CBD and Hout Bay | Borer beetle pest confirmed in Cape Town CBD and Hout Bay | | <img alt="" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/PublishingImages/City%20news.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | <p>The City of Cape Town would like to inform residents that samples taken from a Boxelder tree and London plane tree in the Cape Town CBD and Hout Bay areas have tested positive for the invasive Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer beetle (PSHB). This marks the first confirmed infestation in these areas, and it is a matter of concern. In the CBD, several locations along Long Street; St Georges Mall, Military Road and in Tamboerskloof were sampled and in Hout Bay, along Victoria Road. Read more below:<br></p> | <p>As part of the City’s ongoing monitoring and survey operations, possible infested trees were identified in both the Cape Town CBD and Hout Bay. Samples were collected and subjected to DNA verification, which then confirmed the presence of the invasive Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer beetle. Following the DNA verification conducted by the Stellenbosch University’s Entomology Department, it has been conclusively confirmed that all samples collected from the Cape Town CBD and Hout Bay were infested with PSHB.
<br> <br>‘At this stage, the City cannot yet confirm the number of trees infested in the Cape Town CBD and Hout Bay area as our monitoring teams are actively conducting surveys to determine the extent of the spread. We call upon all private landowners in the CBD and Hout Bay area as well as other parts of the city to inspect the trees on their properties for symptoms and to contact the City immediately should any of the symptoms be visible on any trees. We also ask that residents grant access to City officials on private properties to conduct a full assessment and to determine the extent of the infestation in these areas. City staff will produce City’s staff identification cards and will be wearing City branded clothing at all times for ease of identification. We are extremely concerned about the latest sighting and request the assistance and cooperation of residents and businesses that work with plant material,’ said the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews.
<br> <br>We would like to also urge all landowners across the City with Boxelder trees on their properties to please notify us by logging these trees on
<a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/box-elders-cpt" target="_blank">iNaturalist</a>. Boxelder trees are one of the four highly susceptible reproductive host trees for PSHB. Both the beetles and the fungus are able to establish, and the beetle successfully reproduces in these trees. Once attacked, Boxelder trees typically die within one year and they amplify the PSHB population and increase the risk to surrounding trees. Boxelder is thus an ideal tree that can be used as an indicator of an early infestation in a new area. Logging your Boxelder trees will help the City set up monitoring interventions that will assist with catching a new invasion early particularly in the areas where PSHB has not yet been confirmed.<br> <br><strong>To date, PSHB has been confirmed in the following areas across the City:</strong></p><p>Somerset West, Gordon’s Bay, Strand, Newlands, Rondebosch, Claremont, Rosebank, Observatory, Kenilworth, Wynberg, Durbanville, Pinelands, Parow North, Bellville, Brackenfell, Kraaifontein, Penhill, Constantia, Durbanville and now in the CBD and Hout Bay.<br> <br><strong>What residents should look out for and symptoms of infested trees:</strong><br></p><ul><li>Branch dieback – cracks on the branch; discoloured leaves; dry and leafless branches; branch break-off revealing webs of galleries filled with black fungus</li><li>Gumming – blobs of goo coming out of the bark; oozing of liquid and gum from the beetle holes</li><li>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</li><li>Staining – brown or dark stains on the bark of the tree</li></ul><p>
<strong>How to report PSHB beetle sightings:</strong></p><ul><li>Online using the <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/InvasiveSpecies">City's website</a></li><li>Call the City of Cape Town's Invasive Species Unit on 021 444 2357, Monday to Friday, from 07:30 to 16:00</li><li>Send an email to: <a href="mailto:invasive.species@capetown.gov.za" target="_blank">invasive.species@capetown.gov.za</a></li></ul><p>The City will try its best to respond within 10 working days to verify reported sighting on a first come first served basis however, the response time will depend on the number of sightings received or reported.
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