Residents are encouraged to continue checking their trees and following quarantine requirements to help slow the spread of polyphagous shot-hole borer (PSHB).
PSHB was first detected in East Fremantle in August 2021. In June 2025, the national response shifted from eradication to long-term management because the pest is difficult to detect and control.
A quarantine area continues to cover metropolitan Perth, including the City of Swan. The City spans the management and containment zones, which have different restrictions on moving wood and plant material.
If you are planning to move these types of material, please check Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development's (DPIRD) interactive Quarantine Area map before doing so.
Know the signs
PSHB (Euwallacea fornicatus) is an invasive beetle about two millimetres long, roughly the size of a sesame seed.
It bores into trunks and branches, spreading a harmful fungus that disrupts the flow of water and nutrients. This can cause trees to decline and die.
PSHB can infest more than 500 tree and plant species. Signs of an infestation can include:
• Small, round holes about one millimetre wide
• Sawdust-like material around the holes
• Thick resin or sap
• Dark staining or lesions on the bark
• Wilting, discoloured or dying branches
• Tunnels in cut branches or wood.
Check your trees regularly, particularly while gardening or pruning.
Suspect PSHB? Report it
You can report suspected PSHB through the MyPestGuide Reporter app, call DPIRD's Pest and Disease Information Service on (08) 9368 3080 or email [email protected].
It's important not to prune, remove or dispose of a tree you suspect is infested. Wait for advice from DPIRD.
Help stop the spread
PSHB does not travel far on its own, but it can spread when people move infested firewood, green waste, mulch and plant material.
You can help slow its spread by:
• Following the quarantine requirements for your area
• Keeping wood and plant material within the permitted zone
• Buying firewood locally and burning it where you buy it
• Covering loads when transporting wood or green waste
• Using an approved PSHB waste management facility
• Cleaning pruning tools, chainsaws and woodchippers after use
• Disinfecting equipment with 70 per cent ethanol
• Buying mulch from reputable suppliers
• Using grass clippings or compost instead of mulch from an unknown source
• Choosing suitable native species when planting trees.
The City's Recycling Centre – Bullsbrook, Recycling Centre – Malaga and the Red Hill Waste Management Facility are approved PSHB waste management facilities. Check each facility's opening hours, fees and disposal requirements before visiting.
For the latest information, quarantine restrictions and advice, visit the City's PSHB webpage.
