Bel-Air's sycamore trees under attack by bark beetles

In follow-up with the drought and the stress it has caused with various trees in Bel-Air, it has come to the Bel-Air Association’s attention that many sycamore trees have been infected with a fungus deposited by a bark beetle. Although spraying and injecting the trees will slow down the deterioration, it will not stop the inevitable — most of the sycamores throughout Bel-Air, Hancock Park and Toluca Lake will be lost. A telltale sign of infection is the appearance of “wet” spots on the trunk or limbs of the tree.

Thank you to Leslie Weisberg for bringing this news to our community’s attention.

Click here to link to UC Riverside’s information page—UC Riverside is the leader in research about how to combat the beetle.

The Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer:

Signs of fungus infection:

Other Known Suitable Hosts: Box Elder (Acer negundo), Castor bean (Ricinus communis), Avocado (Persea americana), English Oak (Quercus robur), California coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), Big leaf maple (Acer macrophyhllum) silk tree (Albizia julibrissin) Liquidambar (Liquidambar styraciflua), Coral tree (Erythrina coralladendron), Titoki tree (Alectryon excelsus), California sycamore (Platanus racemose) and Blue Palo Verde (Cercidium floridum).