The City’s Environmental Management Department will be hosting a workshop on the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer Beetle(PSHB) in Somerset West on Monday, 20 June 2022. The City is inviting all interested parties, especially the arborists in Cape Town, to attend. Subject experts from the University of Stellenbosch and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) will be presenting on the day.
The PSHB workshop will take place at the Somerset West Town Hall on 20 June 2022 from 8:30 until 16:00.
‘We plan to share the updated protocol on managing the PSHB with residents and want to point out all the lessons learned since our first response to a PSHB sighting in April 2019. I encourage residents of the Somerset West community and subject experts to please register for this event and to participate in this workshop. In so doing, we can map the way forward and ensure that all interested parties are aware of and understand the City’s approach in managing the spread of the PSHB in the area. I believe the workshop will also assist in the broader understanding of how important it is for us to stop the spread of these infestations and the various issues that require urgent attention,’ said the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews.
The following two subject experts will be presenting:
• Professor Francios Roets, from Stellenbosch University, an expert within the PSHB area, on the ecology of PSHB and on current available research
• Ms Debbie Muir, a Specialist Programme Manager at the DFFE, on Pesticides; Government and People. Ms Muir serves on various committees and represents South Africa on the International Pesticide Forum.
Residents interested to attend can register via the following link: https://forms.gle/Jh4g1LW2GskLgebz9
To date, the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer has been found in the Helderberg basin of the City of Cape Town and specifically in Somerset West. No beetles have been detected in other parts of the city. Field surveys were conducted since April 2019, and inspections were done in response to reports submitted by the residents.
To date, the City has recorded more than 3 500 trees affected by PSHB in this area.
The City is currently focusing on containing the spread of PSHB in the Somerset West area. The City’s efforts include:
• The removal of affected reproductive host trees
• Survey and inspect host species (both reproductive and non-reproductive host species) to determine the extent of the infestation. These surveys are conducted daily to collect data on the number of trees and species affected. This includes trees in both public open spaces and road reserves, as well as on private properties
• Responding to and assessing all suspected PSHB reports in other parts of the city
• Raising awareness about the PSHB infestations
More about the PSHB beetle:
• The beetle is the size of a sesame seed and is approximately two millimetres in length. Its symbiont fungal partner are threatened trees across South Africa
• It is an ambrosia beetle native to Southeast Asia
• Alien trees infested to date include London plane trees, sweetgums, Japanese maples, Chinese maples, pin oaks, and English oaks
• Indigenous trees invaded to date include the coast coral tree, the forest bush willow and the Cape willow
• It was first discovered in South Africa in 2017 on London plane trees in KwaZulu-Natal’s National Botanical Gardens in Pietermaritzburg
• The beetle is invading and poses a threat to exotic and indigenous trees across South Africa
• The beetle’s most likely pathway or vector is through the movement of infested wood, originating from dead or dying PSHB infested trees, including wood intended to be used for cooking or heating
Source: City Of Cape Town