Santa Cruz County agriculture officials are asking property owners and residents to be on the lookout for an invasive beetle called the invasive shothole borer beetle that was detected in Felton.
The tiny, dark brown beetle was found by a resident hiking on East Zayante Road and Graham Hill Road, according to a Thursday press release from the county.
The beetle was also found recently in San Jose, near Coyote Creek, according to the county.
They are also present in Southern California, where they are suspected to have been first introduced, according to the North American Invasive Species Management Association, known as NAISMA.
The invasive shothole borer beetle is a small beetle that can kill or damage several different tree types. Some varieties most susceptible include sycamores, oaks, cottonwoods and box elder trees, according to NAISMA.
Signs of an infestation include small, round holes that are about the size of a ballpoint pen that could also show stains, a white substance, sap secretions known as gumming or small wood pieces called frass protruding from holes on a tree trunk.
Trees might also show signs of dieback, like dead or wilted branches, according to NAISMA.
Teams from the county Department of Agriculture and University of California Cooperative Extension are surveying the area along Zayante Creek to get a sense of the scope of the infestation, according to county spokesperson Jason Hoppin.
The UC Cooperative Extension has an invasive shothole borer beetle assessment online. More resources are available at ishb.org.
Anyone who sees signs of the beetles should contact the Santa Cruz County Department of Agriculture at (831) 763-8080.
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