Onsite Maintenance - 21st December 2021

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) will be on-site at Glen Iris on 21 December 2021, undertaking a routine inspection of trees across the land looking for signs of the shot hole borer bug in susceptible trees.

The establishment of this pest in WA could have significant impact on amenity trees, native vegetation, and some horticultural industries.

The Polyphagous shot hole borer (Euwallacea fornicates) is native to Southeast Asia and attacks over 400 species of trees. It burrows into the tree and brings with it the fungus Fusarium sp. which it then cultivates inside the tree as a food source for the beetle and its larvae. In susceptible trees, the fungus kills vascular tissue causing Fusarium dieback and tree death. More information can be found https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/borer

The routine inspection is part of the DPIRD Perth Metro teams’ surveillance of the bug.