Biosecurity SA restricts pine timber from W.A.

Biosecurity SA has alerted South Australian pest control exterminators to be on the lookout for any signs of destructive European House Borers (EHB) when inspecting dwellings. The warning follows the introduction of new regulations restricting movement of pine timber products from Western Australia. Currently, WA is the only Australian state to have EHB but it is found overseas in Europe, South Africa, South America, the United States and China.

EHB can infest susceptible pine wood roof timbers, wall frames, flooring and door frames and may go undetected for years, eating timbers from within and weakening structures until they collapse.

Biosecurity SA’s Manager of Plant and Food Standards, Geoff Raven, said that while property owners should not be alarmed by any heightened threat of the destructive borer, there was a need for vigilance and including EHB as part of the regime when checking for pests like termites.

“Biosecurity SA has supplemented its border controls to include European House Borer now it’s been recognised nationally that the pest cannot be eradicated,” Mr Raven said. “Pine wood timber entering South Australia from WA now may only do so if it’s been certified as either being previously heat treated, fumigated with methyl bromide or a preservative treatment, or certified as sourced from an EHB pest-free area in WA."

“If the timber has been heat treated, each pine wood product must permanently bear a treatment symbol approved by the Chief Inspector, marked in a visible location and containing the treatment date. Treatment must have occurred within 21 days before arrival in South Australia. Similar verifications are required for both fumigation and preservation treatments.”

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