First the Good news….Those living in the village will be aware of the upgrade taking place. Teams of workers, under the supervision of some concerned residents, have transformed the appearance of the village by trimming edges, moving soil from gutters, levelling pavements, and cutting back brush. The appearance of Zinkwazi is vital to maintaining the value of our properties. A great deal of time and effort has gone into this. Funds from ZBRRA, ZNW and the occasional donation have made it possible. We now need your help – simply by maintaining your own verge. We discourage gardening on verges – just lawn and trees please so that KDM have no reason not to cut the grass.
Now the BAD NEWS – WE ARE AT RISK OF LOOSING OUR TREES.
We, along with all South Africa, are at risk of loosing our trees to a small beetle that is spreading a fungus. At this stage it cannot be controlled. No product is yet available to treat it. I attach two photos I took this morning in the our village which illustrate what this looks like in the early and in its advanced stage.
The attached article illustrates the implications of this disease taking its toll on our country.
Advanced stages showing the “shot holes” caused by the Polyphagos Shot Hole Borer Beetle in an Erythrina (coral tree) when the bark peels off. This tree is dying.
Rauvolfia Australis (Quinine tree) The black blemishes are signs of the fungus
The Polyphagos Shot Hole Borer Beetle.
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One in particular, Fusarium euwallacea, will eventually kill a beetle infested tree. There are no known natural controls nor effective insecticides that will effectively kill infestations of this beetle.
Of great concern is that infestations of the Shot Hole Borer have been found in an avenue of London Plane trees in the KZN National Botanical Gardens in Pietermaritzburg.
Not only does this beetle pose a threat to both certain exotic ornamental trees but of greater concern is the fact that it invades and will eventually kill a number of indigenous trees as well as certain commercially grown nut and fruit trees.
This has serious environmental and economic implications for South Africa’s indigenous forests as well as for agriculture respectively.
To list some of the indigenous trees affected by the Shot Hole Borer and its attendant fungus these species are as follows: Outeniqua yellowwood, Thorn tree (Acacia/Senegalia) species, Kiepersol or cabbage tree and coral tree species.
Possibly of greatest economic gravity is the beetle’s invasion of crop bearing trees such as avocados, macadamias, pecans, peaches, oranges and grapevines.
An appeal has been made to the public to be vigilant of the symptoms indicating the presence of Shot Hole Borer. These vary from patches of white, powdery wood (frass) around the tree or on the trunk, blotches of oozing resin at the beetles’ entrance hole and/or small raised lesions on the bark.
Farmers, gardeners and the general public are encouraged to be pro-active in reporting any suspected infestations with photographs of symptoms; GPS co-ordinates or a street address; the host tree species and personal contact details to diagnostic.clinic@fabi.up.ac.za
It is known that the Shot Hole Borer Beetle is sensitive to heat.
Therefore, the best method of eradication at present is to remove infested branches.
Either burn these immediately or cut into smaller pieces, place in sealed refuse bags and leave in direct sunlight so the heat will kill the larvae and the insect.
Kind regards
Wendy