An unfolding ecological disaster
Dead Kiepersol tree. Although beetles are unable to breed in this species, borer activity kills it anyway
Shot hole borer is a tiny black beetle native to Southeast Asia and it farms fungus in the tunnels that it makes in tree trunks. The trees in its native environment are unaffected by the fungus and it is a pest but not a killer. Outside of its home ecosystem, the fungus turns deadly and wood imported and exported around the world has been subjected to fumigation and other controls to try and prevent the spread of the beetle. Once trees are contaminated, there is no real treatment that is cost effective, trees must just be felled and burned.
The signs of borer activity in dead wood. The beetle is about 2mm long
Somehow, contaminated wood made its way over here and Shot hole borers became established in South Africa. Trees are now dying all over the country and although it is unable to breed in many indigenous species, it still kills them.
The signs of an infested tree: a black substance oozing from the trunk
South Africa now has established populations of these beetles in many provinces and these pictures were taken of a tree near where I work. It looks like many species of indigenous trees are going to become extinct and who knows what will happen once it spreads North and attacks the Equatorial rainforests.
Yet another man-made disaster.
Yikes humans moving around the world can sure screw things up.
Yup
Awful. A small beetle ruins large trees. Really experts cannot think up the methods allowing to get rid of these bugs. So they can destroy all the trees on the African continent.
They are trying but so far, there is no treatment
This is very bad! The ecological system is imbalance! Hope there’s a predator to ear these beetles!
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It's not the beetle but the fungus they carry that kills the tree
Es muy triste ver como se acaban las plantas. Es como ver una piel gangrenada, negro, tejido muerto. Y lo peor es la poca posibilidad de tratamiento, van directo a la destrucción total.
It's very sad to see. Some of the trees are very old
That's so sad. I was very young when the Dutch Elm Disease swept through our province and we lost most of the old American Elm trees. Now we're losing ash trees to the ash borer.
Is the ash borer also an imported pest?
Yes, the emerald ash borer is from North East Asia.
:-( Globalization...
I suppose and there are an amazing number of imported plant and animal pets. We don't even realize some are imports.
Oh...
Very sorry...
I think what to help only birds that can eat these bugs can help.
Woodpecker, for example.
When infestations become bad, the beetles fill the entire tree
Ohhhh ...
That's terrible!!!
How come that a small thing can ruin a whole tree?!
The beetle carries a fungus which kills the tree. They also breed very prolifically