An unfolding ecological disaster

Dead Kiepersol tree. Although beetles are unable to breed in this species, borer activity kills it anyway

Shot hole borer is a tiny black beetle native to Southeast Asia and it farms fungus in the tunnels that it makes in tree trunks. The trees in its native environment are unaffected by the fungus and it is a pest but not a killer. Outside of its home ecosystem, the fungus turns deadly and wood imported and exported around the world has been subjected to fumigation and other controls to try and prevent the spread of the beetle. Once trees are contaminated, there is no real treatment that is cost effective, trees must just be felled and burned.

The signs of borer activity in dead wood. The beetle is about 2mm long

Somehow, contaminated wood made its way over here and Shot hole borers became established in South Africa. Trees are now dying all over the country and although it is unable to breed in many indigenous species, it still kills them.

The signs of an infested tree: a black substance oozing from the trunk

South Africa now has established populations of these beetles in many provinces and these pictures were taken of a tree near where I work. It looks like many species of indigenous trees are going to become extinct and who knows what will happen once it spreads North and attacks the Equatorial rainforests.

Yet another man-made disaster.