Pacific Pests, Pathogens, Weeds & Pesticides - Online edition

Pacific Pests, Pathogens, Weeds & Pesticides

Island pinhole borer (482)


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Summary

  • Worldwide distribution. In Australia, New Zealand, most Pacific island countries.
  • Major pest causing tunnels and staining in distressed, fallen trees and sawn timber. All stages completed inside tunnels, feeding on fungus introduced by adults as they bore.
  • Spread: adults emerge and fly short distances. Longer distance spread with domestic and international movement of logs and timber.
  • Biosecurity: high chance of introduction in logs and timber. Countries yet free should set traps at ports, and ensure crates, pallets and dunnage compliant with international standard: (http://www.fao.org/3/a0450e/a0450e.pdf).
  • Cultural control: remove felled trees as quickly as possible, and convert to seasoned timber.
  • Chemical control: not appropriate; insecticides unlikely to reach the beetles deep inside trees, logs or timber.

Common Name

Island pinhole borer. It is also known as ambrosia beetle, bark beetle, coconut shot-hole borer, and shot-hole beetle. The common name, ambrosia beetle, belongs to a number of related species. Ambrosia beetles cultivate fungi as their sole food source in the tunnels they make in distressed trees.

Scientific Name

Xyleborus perforans; previously known with other species names, and also placed in other genera, e.g., Anodius, Bostrichus and Tomicus. Note, the polyphagous shot-hole borer (Euwallacea fornicatus) is newly (2021) recorded in Western Australia. A quarantine area is in place to help contain the spread and allow surveillance activities.


AUTHOR Grahame Jackson
Information from CABI (2020) Xyleborus perforans (island pinhole borer) Crop Protection Compendium. (https://www.cabi.org/cpc/datasheet/57169); and Walker K (2006) Island pinhole borer (Xyleborus perforans). PaDIL - (http://www.padil.gov.au); and CAL-IPC News. Summer 2016 - Vol. 24(2). (https://www.cal-ipc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Cal-IPCNews_Summer2016-6.pdf). Photos 1-3 Walker K (2006) Ibid.

Produced with support from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research under project HORT/2016/185: Responding to emerging pest and disease threats to horticulture in the Pacific islands, implemented by the University of Queensland and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.

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