Beetle infesting trees in Perth could pose deadly threat to Moreton Bay figs

The polyphagous shot-hole borer beetle poses a grave risk to such species as Moreton Bay fig if it moves out of Perth. Photograph: Southern Lightscapes-Australia/Getty Images

A new, invasive insect that has caused the removal of hundreds of trees in Perth could attack much-loved species such as Moreton Bay figs if it escapes quarantine zones, conservationists say.

While the east coast has been responding to the incursion of the varroa mite in bees, Western Australia has been managing another invasive insect known as the polyphagous shot-hole borer (PSHB).