English
Just two millimetres in size, the tiny shot-hole borer, can kill a tree in two years.
At least 3,000 trees in Perth have already been destroyed in an effort to stop this pest.
Tunnelling through trunks and branches, they infect trees with a fungus that stops the transfer of water and nutrients.
Associate Professor Theo Evans - from the University of Western Australia - studies the behaviour and genetics of insects.
"It's about 1-2 millimetres in size, it's about a sesame seed. It attacks trees and it eats the wood, not directly but it has a fungus that's seen beyond the fungus attacks the wood and then the beetle attacks the fungus, and it can attack and kill hundreds of species of trees."
Concerns have also been raised within the local community.
"Urban heatload is a massive, massive issue we're dealing with, with climate change. And then now we've got trees being impacted. I don't think we even have a clear understanding of which trees are being impacted. It impacts flowers and trees that give you honey, shade, all sorts of issues."
Originally from south-east Asia, the beetles were first detected in Western Australia in 2021.
Authorities say it is unknown how the beetle entered Australia.
Both the federal and state government have allocated money for a beetle eradication plan, with 20 million from the Albanese government and 4.7 million from the state government.
More than 160 full-time local employees are helping to implement the plan which includes removing infected trees to stop the spread.
The invasive pest was previously thought to be contained within Perth's metropolitan area.
But, it’s now been found in box elder and coral trees outside the quarantine zone.
Vincent Lanoiselet is the chief plant biosecurity officer from the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
"Twelve trees have been found to be infested with the borer outside of the quarantine area. The good news is that the infestations are not very far from the boundary or the edges of the quarantine area, and also the detection were identified as part of a normal surveillance. We basically do a lot of work on the edges of the quarantine area to make sure that if the pest managed to escape the quarantine area we can detect it very quickly and very fast to remove that infestation."
Associate Professor Theo Evans however believes there could potentially be another way the beetle is spreading in Perth.
"So if people prune their trees, perhaps they have a tree branch near a power line. They will cut their branch off and take it away to be disposed of. And that might mean taking it outside of the quarantine zone."
He says the beetle can still spread even after an infected tree has been destroyed, as parts of the tree is turned into chips and then into mulch, which could then be transported and used in other locations.
"It's very concerning. It's bad in Perth. Perth already has a very low canopy and we will lose even more. But if you live in Sydney or Brisbane or Melbourne it might be worse. The beetle is probably better adapted to live on the eastern side because it's more humid and it also attacks figs. And figs are more prominent in the urban canopy in Brisbane and Sydney and it attacks London plain trees which are very common in Melbourne. So they might lose 50 per cent or more of their urban canopy."
Authorities are now concerned the tiny beetle could spread to the east coast.
They are urging the public to check trees and report any sightings.
With the Spring breeding period fast-approaching, scientists are in a race against time to eradicate the beetle.
New warning signs are being put up across Perth, and the quarantine bounder under review.
Italian
Grande appena due millimetri, la minuscola piralide può uccidere un albero in due anni.
Almeno 3.000 alberi a Perth sono già stati abbattuti nel tentativo di fermare questo parassita.
Scavando nei tronchi e nei rami, questi insetti infettano gli alberi con un fungo che blocca il trasferimento di acqua e sostanze nutritive.
Il professore associato Theo Evans, della University of Western Australia, studia il comportamento e la genetica degli insetti.
"It's about 1-2 millimetres in size, it's about a sesame seed. It attacks trees and it eats the wood, not directly but it has a fungus that's seen beyond the fungus attacks the wood and then the beetle attacks the fungus, and it can attack and kill hundreds of species of trees."
Sono state sollevate preoccupazioni anche all'interno della comunità locale.
"Urban heatload is a massive, massive issue we're dealing with, with climate change. And then now we've got trees being impacted. I don't think we even have a clear understanding of which trees are being impacted. Um you know impact flowers and trees that give you honey, shade, all sorts of issues."
Originari del sud-est asiatico, questi coleotteri sono stati individuati per la prima volta in Western Australia nel 2021.
Le autorità non sanno come la piralide sia entrata in Australia.
Sia il governo federale che quello statale hanno stanziato fondi per un piano di eradicazione del coleottero, con 20 milioni del governo Albanese e 4,7 milioni del governo statale.
Più di 160 dipendenti pubblici a tempo pieno stanno aiutando ad attuare il piano, che prevede la rimozione degli alberi infetti per fermare la diffusione.
In precedenza, si pensava che il parassita invasivo fosse contenuto nell'area metropolitana di Perth.
Ma ora è stato trovato nel sambuco e negli alberi di corallo al di fuori della zona di quarantena.
Vincent Lanoiselet è il responsabile della biosicurezza delle piante del WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
"Twelve trees have been found to be infested with the borer outside of the quarantine area. The good news is that the infestations are not very far from the boundary or the edges of the quarantine area, and also the detection were identified as part of a normal surveillance. We basically do a lot of work on the edges of the quarantine area to make sure that if the pest managed to escape the quarantine area we can detect it very quickly and very fast to remove that infestation. "
Il professore associato Theo Evans ritiene tuttavia che ci possa essere un altro modo in cui la piralide si sta diffondendo a Perth.
"So if people prune their trees, perhaps they have a tree branch near a power line. They will cut their branch off and take it away to be disposed of. And that might mean taking it outside of the quarantine zone."
La piralide può diffondersi anche dopo che un albero infetto è stato abbattuto, poiché parti dell'albero vengono trasformate in trucioli e poi in pacciame, che potrebbero essere trasportati e utilizzati in altri luoghi.
"It's very concerning. It's bad in Perth. Perth already has a very low canopy and we will lose even more. But if you live in Sydney or Brisbane or Melbourne it might be worse. The beetle is probably better adapted to live on the eastern seaboard because it's more humid and it also attacks figs. And figs are more prominent in the urban canopy in Brisbane and Sydney and it attacks London plain trees which are very common in Melbourne. So they might lose 50 per cent or more of their urban canopy."
Le autorità temono che la piccola piralide possa diffondersi sulla costa orientale.
Esortano il pubblico a controllare gli alberi e a segnalare eventuali avvistamenti.
Con l'avvicinarsi del periodo riproduttivo primaverile, gli scienziati stanno facendo una corsa contro il tempo per eradicare il coleottero.
Nuovi cartelli segnaletici sono stati affissi in tutta Perth e il limite di quarantena è in fase di revisione.
