A tiny beetle
and its deadly fungus is threatening
South Africa’s trees
Wilhelm de Beer, Associate Professor,
University of Pretoria
“The polyphagous shothole borer is tiny - but a fungus it’s commonly associated
with can be deadly for trees.” Wilhelm de Beer
S
andton is Johannesburg’s economic
hub – home to numerous companies’
headquarters and the Johannesburg
Stock Exchange. Now it has a new,
unwelcome resident: a tiny beetle that
could lay waste to several tree species
found in the suburb and potentially the
wider Johannesburg area. This is particularly
concerning, as Johannesburg is considered
one of the world’s largest urban forests, with
more than 10 million trees.
The polyphagous shothole borer, or
Euwallacea fornicatus, seems to be a newcomer
to South Africa. It was discovered in the
country for the first time in 2017 by Dr Trudy
A polyphagous shot hole borer beetle on a man’s hand. Image: George Municipality
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