In short:
With biosecurity resources tied up managing the outbreak of the bird flu, there are concerns attention has been diverted from the destructive shot-hole borer beetle.
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attention → tie → beetle
Farmers and researchers have been working hard behind the scenes to stop the pest from invading valuable crops and native forests.
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Farmers → work → crops
The key to stopping the spread may lie in a research project that is studying Australia's only laboratory colony of shot-hole borers.
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that → stop → borers
It was only a couple of years ago when everyone was talking about a tiny but deadly invasive beetle that could wipe out Perth's tree canopy and wreak havoc in agriculture and native forests.
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that → talk → agriculture
People were on high alert for signs of the polyphagous shot-hole borer and distressed when beautiful big trees in Kings Park and Hyde Park had to be chopped down to stop the spread.
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trees → distress → spread
A quarantine zone was placed around the metropolitan area as part of a national response to the pest, and when eradication failed, the response shifted to a long-term management plan.
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response → place → plan
But now it seems to have gone quiet.
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it → seem → ?
In fact, it is more that another deadly biosecurity threat has grabbed our attention, the H5N1 bird flu.
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threat → grab → attention
People are being told to keep their eyes peeled for sick birds and wildlife and quickly report to authorities.
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People → tell → authorities
In the background, shot-hole borers, which burrow into trees with devastating consequences, are still crawling, flying and looking for new hosts to chew on.
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which → burrow → hosts
Measuring just 1 to 2 millimetres, the beetles were detected for the first time in an avocado orchard in the Perth suburb of Carabooda in December.
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beetles → measure → December
The softer wood of the avocado trees makes them particularly susceptible to the borer, with crops in other countries devastated by the pest.
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crops → make → pest
That makes the south-west of WA the new front line.
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west → make → WA
It is where more than 51,000 of the 131,000 tonnes of avocados grown around Australia were produced last financial year, according to Avocados Australia.
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51,000 → grow → Australia
Beetle poses 'real threat'
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Beetle → pose → threat
Manjimup avocado grower and WA director of Avocados Australia Brad Rodgers said there had been no signs of the beetle in the region so far.
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Rodgers → say → region
"It's a real threat and it's a real concern to farmers," he said.
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he → say → farmers
"It's very critical for our livelihood and for us to grow the fruit that Australians and West Australians love.
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Australians → grow → that
We would like to contain it if we can."
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we → like → it
He and other farmers regularly check their crops, and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is helping with information and advice on pruning to manage the borer.
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Department → check → borer
Under the microscope
The department is also involved in a research project with Murdoch University studying Australia's only laboratory colony of shot-hole borers.
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University → involve → borers
The team is led by Wei Xu, who showed the ABC a series of test tubes filled with sawdust from different trees, while pointing out the tunnels made by the borers.
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who → lead → borers
"They build the gallery so they can grow fungi.
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they → build → fungi
There are some insects inside," Dr Xu said.
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Xu → be → ?
They are studying what repels the borer but also what attracts them.
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what → study → them
"Then we can use that in the trap for example to monitor their population in the field, to detect them or to trap and kill them," he said.
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he → use → them
He said early detection was the key to stopping the spread out of the Perth quarantine zone and potentially to the rest of the country, especially northern regions of the east coast where the borers would thrive in the warmer, more humid conditions.
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borers → say → conditions
"So they may amplify quickly and spread quickly and that would be a big threat to the whole of Australia," he said.
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he → amplify → Australia
Overshadowed by bird flu
But there are concerns bird flu is taking the community's attention and government resources away from shot-hole borer.
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flu → overshadow → borer
"One of the concerns we have at present is that we're facing a bird flu crisis, which is going to take up an awful lot of biosecurity resources, including people in government," Invasive Species Council policy director Carol Booth said.
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Booth → have → government
"When we lose that focus that's potentially a really good opportunity for this beetle to really spread and start causing damage in other parts of Australia," Dr Booth said.
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Booth → lose → Australia
But the WA government insisted its surveillance and management programs of the borer had not changed.
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programs → insist → borer
"There has been no change to Western Australia's polyphagous shot-hole borer response as a result of the government's response to H5 bird flu," a government spokesperson said.
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spokesperson → say → flu
That included quarantine controls, surveillance, regulation, training and "capacity building to slow the spread and manage the impact of shot-hole borer".
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That → include → borer