There are two suburbs in Cape Town identified in the latest list of hotspots for the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB) beetle outbreak in the city.
PSHB.org.za has added Rosebank and Wynberg to the list that comprises Newlands, Rondebosch, Mowbray, Claremont, Kenilworth and Observatory to the hotspot areas of the beetle outbreak.
Last month, the City of Cape Town issued a list of 28 recommended trees for residents who want to replace trees on their properties that are infested with the invasive PSHB beetle.
The list of recommended trees includes indigenous and mostly locally indigenous species that are not reproductive host trees.
Deputy mayor and mayco member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Eddie Andrews, said residents in the hotspot areas could find the Tree Best Practice Guideline on the City website to determine which trees are best suited to their properties.
“The guideline provides useful information about the sites best suited to the trees, whether they can withstand strong wind and sun, their size when fully grown, whether they’re more a shrub than a tree, and whether they’re slow or fast growing.
“For more information on these trees, I also recommend asking advice from your local nursery or landscaper. Then I ask residents to please be aware of the underground services infrastructure on their properties and to take this into account when planting trees to prevent root systems from damaging any main and sewer lines,” he said.
The City released what to look out for and symptoms of infested trees which include:
1. Branch dieback – cracks on the branch; discoloured leaves; dry and leafless branches;
2. Branch break-off revealing webs of galleries filled with black fungus.
3. Gumming – blobs of goo coming out of the bark; oozing of liquid and gum from the beetle holes.
4. Entry and exit holes – very small holes on the bark of the tree, the size of a sesame seed (2mm); shotgun-like scars developing around the holes.
5. Staining – brown or dark stains on the bark of the tree.