Shot Hole Borer in Perth

[Redsonic]

It's been attacking Perth trees for a while now, but the article has lots of interesting information:
ABC News

They tunnel deep into the wood and cultivate a fungus which blocks the arteries, or vascular system, of the tree — so it can't transport water and nutrients to its branches and dies of thirst.

Adding to the challenge, chemical treatments do not work to kill shot-hole borers in heavily infested trees.

Dr Lanoiselet said the fungus not only stopped the flow of water and nutrients but also blocked any chemicals that could poison the beetle.

"The chemical cannot be distributed within the tree based on the fact that vascular system of the tree has been destroyed," he said.

"If we had a chemical option, we would use it."

Something we definitely don't want in Australia. Don't buy trees from WA, folks.
It seems like every week there is a new invasive pest arriving. Governments have really dropped the ball on quarantine. Free trade is also to blame, methinks.

[shibui]

Something we definitely don't want in Australia. Don't buy trees from WA, folks.

If it is in WA it's already in Australia - unless you consider the west a different country?

It seems like every week there is a new invasive pest arriving. Governments have really dropped the ball on quarantine. Free trade is also to blame, methinks.

Many of our recent incursions are because someone thinks they know better than quarantine and illegally imports things. Sometimes knowingly, sometimes just because they don't know the rules.
I can't see how it would be possible to check all the packages coming into the country now.

[TimS]

Alwyas made me depressed, back when i was working with biosecurity material, that all the effort i was going to was pretty much pointless when hundreds of thousands of shipping containers were arriving unchecked all over the country. No way they can all be checked, so just a matter of time before the exotic pests become much less exotic.

[Redsonic]

Something we definitely don't want in Australia. Don't buy trees from WA, folks.

If it is in WA it's already in Australia - unless you consider the west a different country?

The Perth experts quoted were hopeful of eradicating the borer. Hence why I said we don't want it in Australia. There is (maybe) still hope that it won't take hold here.

[HarleyD]

Nasty stuff! Hopefully they at least find a way to prevent it from spreading to the other states and territories, if not full eradication.

[Redsonic]

An update on the Shot Hole Borer:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-17/ ... /104130836

[Redsonic]

They are now talking about giving up on the Borer's eradication:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-14/ ... /104260698

[thoglette]

They are now talking about giving up on the Borer's eradication:

The sad bit is that they didn't really try: most sandgropers would be blissfully unaware of the problem, outside the catchment of one independent newspaper. The rest of the press has ignored it, at least until it hit King's Park.

The Gov't hasn't actually tried to either stop it either. Too little and far, far too late. A few tens of millions spent in the first 6 months would have been cheap compared to the ongoing costs once this escapes into the rural areas.

[Redsonic]

I think this is a recurring problem in Australia. In QLD, we have fire ants (and many other new pests/pathogens) which may have been eliminated if enough money was thrown at it originally, but now they are spreading into NSW. The problem is funding; states are responsible for a problem that should be federal as it affects the whole country eventually.