Kruger aiming to avert borer infestation

The borer has wreaked havoc in agricultural circles with the Western Cape, notably, taking strain. In Gauteng the borer has also spread rapidly, leading to authorities resorting to removing and destroying infected trees.

Navashni Govender, senior manager for Conservation Management in KNP explains that the Borer beetle digs into trees and plants a fungus that kills host trees.

“What’s really worrying about this species is that it attacks both our indigenous species and exotic species,” says Govender.

So far Limpopo is the only province in South Africa that is free of the beetle, which is an invasive species from South-East Asia.

SANParks are asking guests to refrain from bringing wood, especially wet wood, into the park from areas that have been affected by the beetle.

KNP has now set more than 30 traps for the Borer at it’s gates in places in the park where visitors tend to make fire, usually to braai.

The aim is to be able to identify early if any of the 2-millimeter long insects come close to the park and thus far, none have been found.

Roedolf Niewenhis from Crop Watch Africa’s Biosecurity Division says at this stage the Borer traps are big checked once a month.

“We are also in the process of establishing student process where they spend a number of days in the park where they gain invaluable experience and also assist us with this kind of monitoring,” he says,

SANParks is asking that visitors to the parks either burn their word where they bought it, or buy it where they will be burning t in order to cut down on the risk of the borer entering the park territory.