
About this episode
It's the size of a sesame seed, but it could cause unfathomable destruction to Australia's forests and urban canopy.
A beetle called the polyphagous shot-hole borer (Euwallacea fornicatus) is silently spreading through Perth and its surrounds, forcing councils to chop and chip hundreds of trees — even century-old Moreton Bay figs.
So how does the tiny pest cause such massive problems?
Get every episode summarized
Each time The Science Show publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from The Science Show

Celebrating David Attenborough’s 100th birthday and a new way of making vaccines
The Science Show

Lab Notes: What happens if a major ocean current … stops?
The Science Show

Australian science under strain
The Science Show

Lab Notes: AI data centres are coming to remote Australia
The Science Show