Over 5, 700  trees were infected by the killer beetle, the invasive Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer beetle (PSHB) in the Helderberg area, since 2019.

Over 400 of these sightings of infested trees, were recorded in Newlands, Rondebosch, Mowbray, Claremont, Kenilworth, and Observatory along the Liesbeek River.

The City of Cape Town is organizing a session for residents online to talk about the pest.
This follows recent sightings of infected trees in Durbanville’s private properties.

Some of the trees infected in Cape Town are the Boxelders, London Planes, English Oaks, Beef Wood, Weeping Willow, Cape Chestnut, Sweet Viburnum, Black Locust, Paperbark, Liquid Amber, Chinese Cottonwood and Maples.

The session is scheduled for Tuesday, 28 January 2024, from 17:00 until 18:30.

The webinar will be hosted by Deputy Mayor Eddie Andrews and officials from the City’s Invasive Species Unit.

The City said it plans to share how to identify infested trees and what symptoms to look out for, next steps, how to handle infested biomass, how to transport green waste and ways of handling machinery to contain the spread of the pest.

Alderman Eddie Andrews, the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, said “we are urging all private land owners to urgently inspect the trees on their properties for symptoms and to contact us immediately should any of these be visible on any trees. I would like to remind residents in Durbanville to give our teams access to their properties so that we can determine the extent of the PSHB infestation. We are extremely concerned about the latest sighting and request the assistance and cooperation of residents and businesses that work with plant material.”

Reserve your spot:  MMC.SpatialPlanEnvironment@capetown.gov.za 

Residents across Cape Town are also encouraged to notify the City if they have Boxelder trees on their properties by logging these trees on https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/box-elders-cpt .

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