The Ambrosia Beetle: (Pinhole /Shothole Borer)
Identification:
Ambrosia beetles attack both hardwoods and softwoods both european and tropical, often seen in plywood laminates.

Holes vary according to species of 'ambrosia' attacking, but many look just like the furniture beetle.

Damage characheristics:
Holes are round and surfaces of holes are stained blackish colour. The adult beetle does the boring, not the larvae.

Cut sections may show galleries. Test holes with a pin. In many of them the pin will go down its full length. The pin only penetrates holes about 3-5 mm in the case of the furniture beetle. Tunnels are also empty - no frass at all.

Fungus becomes the source of food for the insects. Interestingly, because of this dependence on the fungus, the insect carries spores of the fungus with it as it moves from one tree to the other. This gurantees a food supply. The wood debris from the galleries appears as fine sawdust and is pushed out of the galleries where it accumulates around the entrance hole or at the base of the tree. This insect can only survive in very weakened or dying trees, or in wood products that have not been dried.