A BEETLE is posing a threat, with Osborne Park businesses urged to keep an eye out for the “major pest”.
The Asian longhorned beetle, a wood-boring pest indigenous to China, has been found in industrial areas in Osborne Park and Wangara.
Department of Agriculture and Food chief plant biosecurity officer John van Schagen said the beetle had been removed and surveillance was underway around the property and another premise with trade links.
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READ NOW“There have been no further detections at this stage, providing a high level of confidence that this is a one-off detection,” he said.
“It is likely that the beetle has been a single hitchhiker in imported cargo, however it is not known where the beetle originated.”
The beetle usually targets a wide range of hardwood trees, with poplar and other deciduous trees considered as major hosts.
The potential effect of Asian longhorned beetle on Australian native plants is not known.
“It is a distinctive looking beetle and we are urging businesses owners and residents in the Osborne Park and Wangara areas to be keep an eye out for this pest,” Mr van Schagen said.
An adult beetle is about 20 to 35 millimetres long and 7 to 12mm wide with a jet-black colour and white spots.
The antennae are black with whitish blue bands.
The larvae are grub like and can grow up to 50 millimetres long.
Adults chew slits in the bark of their host plants to lay eggs and the developing larvae feed under the bark forming tunnels.
Evidence of larval infestations appears as chewed wood or frass that has been ejected from the tunnels.
Exit holes in timber are about finger width.
More information on Asian longhorned beetle is available from the department website.
If you suspect you may have found a Asian longhorned beetle, or borer holes in trees or on items such as pallets, phone the department’s Pest and Disease Information Service on 1800 084 881.