A West Australian arborist says the shot-hole borer is keeping him awake at night as the state government looks to expand quarantine boundaries to stop the spread of the pest. The small beetle has infested thousands of trees in Perth, including fruit trees in orchards, which had to be cut down. Arborist Dave Crispin is particularly worried about the pest spreading into regional areas. … “The beetle can live for six or seven months in a piece of dead wood,” he said. “I would recommend that any mulch that comes onto a property and someone delivers it, try and check back and see where that mulch has come from. … The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development set up the quarantine area to help with surveillance of the spread of the borer and to restrict the movement of wood and plant material. The quarantine zone covers 25 local government areas.