“The PSHB has proven to be one of the most difficult tree pests to manage,” state the authors from the universities of Stellenbosch, Pretoria, Rhodes and Florida. “This is largely due to its ability to colonise a massive variety of tree species and its ease of long-distance dispersal because of human activity.”
“Thus far, it has invaded numerous major cities and, because South Africa is climatically suitable, PSHB is expected to rapidly spread to new areas. Impacts of the invasion are currently only in their infancy and major social and ecological costs are expected in the near future.”, the polyphagous shot hole borer can rapidly kill highly susceptible host plants.
Visual surveys in invaded urban areas of Johannesburg, Knysna, George and Somerset West have shown that nearly all English oak, box elder and other maples will die when infested by polyphagous shot hole borer. Currently about 50% of London plane trees infested with this beetle in these areas “are in decline and likely to die”.
Tree removal possibly reduces property values. “In South Africa this has already resulted in at least one court case where PSHB infestations were not reported to potential buyers.” In Somerset West, the cost of tree removal amounted to more than R7 000 a tree in 2019. “With more than 600 trees earmarked for removal in this town alone, the City of Cape Town requested a stipend of R3-million in 2020 to monitor and remove infested trees.
What happens when this beetle eventually makes it's way north, to the rain forests of central africa, which are a massive resorvoir of carbon? Could this have climate change implications if there are massive tree die-offs and associated releases of carbon?
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