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 Introduction: The discovery of small, fresh, conical piles of sawdust in your home can provoke one of those ‘sick in the stomach’ feelings. Wood borers!All borers will do some kind of damage to timber, but all is not lost – there are ‘good borers’ and ‘bad borers’. You need to be aware of the differences between the two groups, because ‘good borer’ damage will be cheap to repair, but it may be expensive to repair the damage done by ‘bad borers’.The ‘good borers’ are beetles whose damage is limited to the first five years after the timber was milled. They attack mainly soft wood or moist decaying timber, and the damage done to the wood is superficial; it can be fixed by filling with putty and a quick repaint.

The ‘bad borers’ are beetles that can attack hardwood or softwood of any age. The damage is often structural, requiring complete replacement of the timbers, which are often floor boards or major support beams.

 

Pinhole Borer: Scientific name latypus australis

 

The Pinhole Borer or Ambrosia Beetle belongs to the Curculionidae family and has a biology that differs from most other wood borers. In other wood-boring beetles, it is the larvae (grubs) that bore through the wood and create the galleries. In the case of the Ambrosia Beetle, the adult female bores into the timber, creating a central tunnel with side branches. The larvae do not feed on the wood; they eat the fungus that grows on the moist timber gallery excavated by the adult female. The fungus causes a staining of the wood, which is characteristic of Ambrosia Beetle attack. Since the fungus the larva feeds on requires a moist environment, attack is confined to living or recently felled timber. Damage is only superficial.