Huge areas of Australia are vulnerable to tree-killing beetle, study warns

A new Curtin University study warns that large parts of Australia, including major cities and farming regions, could be highly vulnerable to a fast-spreading invasive beetle, already causing severe damage across the Perth metropolitan area. The study looked at the full life cycle of the polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB), a tiny insect which releases a fungus that can starve trees of nutrients, killing them in the process. The study resulted in a model to analyze where new outbreaks are most likely to occur in Australia.