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The Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer
Your one-stop solution for learning about the Polyphagous Shot-Hole Borer (PSHB) and how to prevent infestation and treat your infected tree. A site for the everyday person, with no-nonsense solutions and zero red tape.
This site is primarly focused on South Africa and how the shot-hole borer is impacting on gardens in urban areas. Global visitors are greatly welcomed and we hope you find something useful that can help you save your trees.
Save Your Infected Tree
The short version is that your infected tree is highly likely to be saved, especially if the beetle is detected early on.
Unfortunately, the information disseminated to the public since the beetle’s detection in 2017 in South Africa has not yet been updated with recent findings. Most still believe that cutting down infected trees is the only way to combat the shot-hole borer and its devastation. This has proved to be ineffective and costly and has failed to stop the spreading of the beetle.
Follow our Quick Guide below for an easy health check of your garden, and view our videos for more information.
Knowledge Portal
Go to the links below for answers on how to detect, prevent and care. Learn about the Polyphagous Shot-Hole Borer (PSHB) and find a treasure trove of other helpful information.
Visit the Knowledge Portal
We put together a nifty package of various information that will help you detect the beetle in your garden, and what you can do to protect your trees from infestation.
How can I…
…spot the beetle in my garden?
…prevent the beetle in my trees?
…care for my infected tree?
Everything About…
…the beetle.
…stressors and “breeder” trees.
…soil and tree health.
Stop Cutting Down Trees!!!
Cutting down trees en masse has neither curbed the beetle’s spread nor slowed it down. What seemed like a sensible plan at the beginning has not yielded results. The most important thing we want you to know is that you should not cut down your infected tree (yet). Thousands of trees have recovered from the infection either through care or by themselves.
Also, imagine spending anything from R8,000 to R30,000+ on removing just one tree!
Cutting down a tree may help the spreading of the beetle even more, not to mention the negative carbon footprint.
So, if you’ve just discovered that a tree in your garden has been infected, you can rest assured that there are solutions to help your tree – even save it. This is what ConSerca aims to do.
Please go through our website, familiarise yourself with everything you need to know, and then decide what’s best for you and your tree.
Know This!
Fact 1: Infected Trees Are Recovering
Hard to believe for some, but many trees that have been infected by the polyphagous shot-hole borer have recovered – on their own! Yes, the majority of trees have proven to be resilient and with proper care, like water and food, these trees battled through their sickness and recovered. Today they carry the scard of the infestation, but they are growing strongly.
Fact 2: Some Trees Are Highly Susceptible to Infestation
A number of trees are very seductive to the shot-hole borer. These trees are great breeding grounds and are basically sitting ducks for infestation. In South Africa, the two most common examples found all over the country are the English Oak (akkerboom) and the London/American Plane (plataanboom). These trees will need extra attention in the fight against the PSHB.
Fact 3: Caring For An Infected Tree Can Save It
While many trees are fighting back on their own, being nice to your sick tree may help it recover stronger. We provide all the tips here from how to water to feeding it, and more things you didn’t know about. It’s better to do something, rather than nothing.
Fact 4: Some Trees Won’t Make it
Even with treatment and care, some trees won’t make it. They’ll have branches dying off, no more leaves, and finally just an empty husk will remain. English Oaks are at high risk here as they often need a bit of help to wake up and begin fighting off the infection.
Fact 5: We Are Actually Fighting A Fungus, Not The Beetle
What kills the tree in the end is not the beetle, but a fungus the beetle schleps around with it and feeds off. This fungus hinders the flow of water and nutrients within the tree, essentially choking it. When the tree doesn’t have the necessary resistance to fight the fungus it will die.
This website was launched in February 2025 and is growing. We are adding new articles and information regularly. Please check back regularly and learn how you can save your trees (and loads of money and anguish.)