As the Western Australian government intensifies its efforts to monitor the shot-hole borer beetle in outer metropolitan areas, fruit growers in the south-west are expressing growing concerns about the invasive pest. The beetle has already devastated thousands of trees in Perth, and growers fear it could threaten the region's multimillion-dollar horticulture industry. They are calling for enhanced protective measures, including signage and quarantine bins along major highways leading into the area.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development recently established a new containment zone around the metropolitan area, focusing on regions such as Serpentine, Mundaring, and Two Rocks. The only effective method to eliminate the pest is to remove the host trees, which has raised alarm among local growers.

Richard Eckersley, a fruit grower located less than 100 kilometers from the new containment zone, shared his apprehensions. "We're nervous and concerned," he said. "If I woke up tomorrow and we had it, I just don't know what we would do and how we would tackle it." Eckersley noted that the borer's presence in Perth has made him hesitant about expanding his property and has led him to consider diversifying his crops. "I wouldn't be [planting] anything further until I knew exactly if we could manage it, if we got an incursion on our farm," he added.

Further south in Manjimup, which is about 300 kilometers from Perth and the largest horticulture area in the state, the avocado industry is particularly vulnerable. Avocado trees are known to support the borer's breeding, raising concerns for local growers. Shire President Donnelle Buegge has requested the state government to install signs on major highways to prevent the movement of wood and green matter into the south-west. "There are absolutely no visual prompts to ensure that there is no wood or green matter getting to the south-west to make sure that the shot-hole borer is contained in the areas that they are supposed to be contained," she said.

Buegge emphasized the need for green waste disposal sites at fooderies and fuel stations along the route to the south-west. Jason Jarvis, an apple and pear grower in Donnybrook, echoed the sentiment, stating it is "only a matter of time" before the pest reaches the south-west. He highlighted the significance of the region's growers, who supply most of the apples and pears consumed in Western Australia. "The ramifications are rather large as are the livelihoods of the people on the ground doing the work," he said.

Jarvis supports the call for increased public education about the pest. He believes that while signage is beneficial, more comprehensive education through online platforms and media is essential.

Earlier this year, the WA government acknowledged that the pest could not be eradicated and has placed the responsibility on landowners within the management zone in inner Perth to care for their trees. Mia Carbon, deputy director general of biosecurity management, stated that if the pest is found in breeding trees within the containment zone, those trees will be removed. "It's really important that we contain it to where it is; it's really important that we protect the horticulture industries and our environment and try to keep it where it is," she said.

Carbon urged the public to avoid moving untreated wood and green waste between or out of quarantine zones. She noted that while the natural spread of the pest is slow, at about two to four kilometers per year, human-assisted spread poses a significant risk. "Unfortunately, there's no way to model what that will do," she added.