Pinhole borer beetle

Habitat:

Softwoods and harwoods, especially tropical timbers. It attacks standing trees or felled green timber. All stages of the life cycle are killed by drying. Insect cannot infest dried timber even if it becomes damp at a later date. Damaged timber may be incorporated into buildings, or used in plywood manufacture, but this is unimportant unless aesthetically unacceptable.

Damage characteristics:

Entry holes Circular, 1-2 mm in diameter (rarely seen in sawn timber).

Tunnels At right angles to grain direction, empty, straight, unbranched or with several very short side chambers. Usually darkly stained - the staining may extend into the wood around tunnel.

Bore dust None, but sawdust may become impacted into tunnels during sawing of infested timber.