The George Municipality says they’ve discovered a new dangerous beetle infestation in trees in the Southern Cape Town.
The Shot Hole Borer beetle is relatively new to the country and has also been spotted in KwaZulu-Natal.
The two-millimetre long Southeast Asian insect carries several deadly fungal species with it. It bores through the bark and into the sapwood of trees and injects the fungus into the tree.
Municipality spokesperson, Athane Scholtz, says they will be meeting with experts in the coming week to discuss possible control strategies.
“The municipality and other local role players are meeting with an expert next week to discuss possible control strategies. The municipality will also be consulting with other local authorities to investigate all options in dealing with this disease as effectively as possible. The municipality appeals to the public to inspect the trees on their properties as well in parks and sidewalks and to report the occurrence of symptoms to parks@george.gov.za.”
