According to the reports, the polyphagous shot hole borer is a type of ambrosia beetle, which is also known as Euwallacea fornicates. They are very dangerous species that cause great trouble to the whole environment. Recently, it has attacked hundreds of tree species only in Southern California. However, the worst part is this beetle carries varied fungal spores, which can easily infect and kill the subset of those plants.
Recently, they were discovered in Johannesburg and are considered a significant threat to various indigenous trees, mainly in South Africa. If you talk about their appearance, they are around 2mm long and are native to Southeast Asia. Moreover, according to experts, this Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer, also called PSHB, is linked to various types of Fungi. However, one such type is Fusarium euwallacea.
About shot hole borer
This disease called shot hole borer is a very dangerous issue to the trees or the plants that have spread in almost every part of the USA. They usually attack a large number of plants and tree species and mainly hardwood in Southern California. They live between the bark and tree surface and effortlessly bore into the wood.
However, with time, they form galleries of fungal spores or circular tunnels, and they feed by sucking succulent tissues by forming the cambium layer between the wood and the bark.
How to identify Shot Hole Borer?
In reality, the beetles of the shot hole borer are very small to detect. But if you want your trees to be healthy and safe, you must know the sign of this disease. However, the symptoms of this disease vary from one tree to another. Some of the signs of this disease are: –
- Wilting trees
- The injury of shot hole disease is usually a main stem and on the larger branches of the tree.
- Minute pinhole injury in twigs of only 1-inch diameter
- Dead branches
- Exit/Entry holes on the bark of the trees
- Shotgun-like lesions on the bark at entry/exit holes.
- Sugar volcanoes on the bark at entry/exit holes.
- Blotches of oozing resin on the bark at entry/exit holes.
- Wood frass (wooden powder) on the bark at entry/exit holes.
- You will see sawdust-like powder around the holes.
- Can quickly deteriorate the quality and quantity of fruits
- Entire branches will dieback
Types of trees infected by this disease
According to experts, till now, this disease has infected more than 200 tree species from at least 28 plant families. Because of this reason, it is pretty difficult to identify all the tree species. But some of the essential tree species that are susceptible to Shot hole borer beetle are: –
- Grapevine
- Peach
- Pecan
- Orange
- Avocado
How do you get rid of this disease?
Till now, there is no remedy or the best shot hole borer beetle treatment by which you can get rid of this disease from trees as the beetles drill down deep into the tree wood. Apart from that, any insecticides are also not effective against the PSHB. But if you want to get rid of this disease, it is to cut down that part of the tree that is infected and burn the wood to prevent the spread of this issue.
However, make sure when you remove the infected part of the tree, it is recommended to put wood through a chipper as this step would kill beetles. After that, put a tarp over the chipped wood for around two months in direct harsh sunlight, and this heat would bake the remaining beetles to death.
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Another essential thing which you must keep in mind is don’t spread the shot hole borer disease using the same contaminated knife on other parts of the tree. That means if you are cutting trees to stop the spread of this disease, ensure to sterilize the tools with the help of 25% household bleach solution and 70% ethyl alcohol solution.
On top of that, make sure to notify the authorities about the infestation so that they can take essential steps to figure out how to treat that disease. For example, you can reach out to your local farm advisor, pest-control advisor, etc., for the best shot hole borer beetle treatment.
Benefits of the best shot hole borer beetle treatment
- Can prevent the further attack of shot hole borer disease
- It helps in keeping the trees healthy and vigorous
- Arborists will do a detailed inspection of the tree or plants
- Offer customized and expert strategies on different types of trees
- Delivers nutrients and proper treatment to the trees so that they will live for long
The bottom line
Shot hole borer is undoubtedly a very dangerous disease due to which trees can die. So, if you want your trees to be safe, then recognize the symptoms of shot hole borer, which we have discussed above. By doing this, you can go for timely treatment to save the tree.
I hope through this post, you will come to know about shot hole borers and how to treat them.