City of Cape Town urged residents to attend a vitally important online information session about the invasive Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer Beetle (PSHB). The session will take place on Tuesday, Jan 28, 2025 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The webinar will be hosted by Deputy Mayor Eddie Andrews and officials from the Invasive Species Unit of City of Cape Town. The residents have been recommended that the trees on their properties have set time aside to learn more about the Beetle, after the PSHB sighting held in Durbanville. This included the threat posed by the PSHB to the urban forest of Cape Town.
Some of the trees have been affected in Cape Town such as Boxelders, London Planes, English Oaks, Beef Wood, Weeping Willow, Cape Chestnut, Sweet Viburnum, Black Locust, Paperbark, Liquid Amber, Chinese Cottonwood and Maples.
During the PSHB webinar, City of Cape Town will be sharing the significant information on:
- How to identify infested trees and what symptoms to look out for
- What to do next, what not to do
- How to handle infested biomass
- How to safely dispose of infested biomass
- How to transport green waste
- How to handle equipment and machinery in a manner that will not spread the pest to other areas
The City of Cape Town has recently confirmed that various trees in Durbanville are indeed infested with PSHB. These trees were found on private properties and showed PSHB symptoms. At this point, the city cannot confirm the number of infested trees in the Durbanville region.
Surveys are currently under way to determine it. However, the city will share important information with all residents at the webinar on Tuesday.
Deputy Mayor and the Member of the Mayoral Committee for Spatial Planning and Environment – Alderman Eddie Andrews said that they are urging all private land owners to urgently inspect the trees on their properties for symptoms and to contact them immediately, as any of these might be visible on any trees.
Andrews added that he reminded residents of Durbanville to give access to the properties of their team so that they 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,” explained Eddie Andrews.