There's a beetle called the polyphagous shot-hole borer (PSHB) that is attacking avocado trees on the Costa Tropical.

Its Latin name is a bit suspicious and sounds like somebody is having a laugh but it is genuine: Euwallacea fornicatus.

They are considered an invasive species in California, Israel, South Africa, and Australia, as well as several European countries where they have been unwittingly introduced into greenhouses.

Quoting from good-old Wikepedia: “adult females are range between 1.9 and 2.5 mm long. They are bulky, dark brown or black and the frontal edge of the pronotum has a row of saw-like projections. Like many other ambrosia beetles, males are significantly smaller, with non-functional wings.

E. fornicatus larvae and adults feed on a symbiotic fungus carried in a specific structure called mycangium [special structures on the body of an animal that are adapted for the transport of symbiotic fungi]. In E. fornicatus, the mycangium is located in the mandible. The combination of massive numbers of beetles with the symbiotic fungus kills trees, even though the fungus alone is a weak pathogen”

These little blighters (never better said) have been found in traps on avocado trees within plantations in Motril. However, the Delegación Territorial de Agricultura, Pesca y Desarrollo Rural claims that so far there has been no damage to subtropical crops.

The beetle was first detected last October on ornamental trees within the town centre of Motril, after infected trees started dying. When they investigated the demise of these ornamental trees and bushes they discovered the cause; i.e., these nastly little fornicatus…

Motril Town Hall immediately notified the Junta de Andalucía, who in turn alerted the Servicios de Sanidad Vegetal de Granada. The Administrations acted rapidly, recommending that infected trees be eliminated and burnt to avoid propagation. It is also why they installed insect traps in the plantations.

Experts will give a lecture in the Teatro Calderón in Motril on the 25th where advice will be given on how to detect its presence and how to deal with it.

(News: Motril, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia – Photo: Ken Walker)

Tags: Invasive Species, Beetles, shot-hole borer, avocados, plantations, traps, fungus