![Adult female Heterobostrychus aequalis, a wood-boring beetle on a section of wood. [Lyle Buss, University of Florida. Used with permission.]](https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/sites/gateway/files/Heterobostrychus_aequalis_female.jpg "Adult female Heterobostrychus aequalis, a wood-boring beetle [Lyle Buss, University of Florida. Used with permission.]")
![Tunnels, with sawdust-like debris (frass), made by larvae of Heterobostrychus aequalis, a wood-boring beetle, in a section of wood. [Lyle Buss, University of Florida. Used with permission.]](https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/sites/gateway/files/Heterobostrychus_aequalis_damage2.jpg "Tunnels, with sawdust-like frass, made by larvae of Heterobostrychus aequalis, a wood-boring beetle. [Lyle Buss, University of Florida. Used with permission.]")
![Adult male Heterobostrychus aequalis, a wood-boring beetle on a section of wood. [Lyle Buss, University of Florida. Used with permission.]](https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/sites/gateway/files/Heterobostrychus_aequalis_male.jpg "Adult male Heterobostrychus aequalis, a wood-boring beetle. [Lyle Buss, University of Florida. Used with permission.]")
![Exit holes from adult Heterobostrychus aequalis, a wood-boring beetle, in a section of wood. [Lyle Buss, University of Florida. Used with permission.]](https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/sites/gateway/files/Heterobostrychus_aequalis_damage.jpg "Exit holes from adult Heterobostrychus aequalis, a wood-boring beetle. [Lyle Buss, University of Florida. Used with permission.]")
![Diagnostic image of lesser auger beetle (Heterobostrychus aequalis), lateral view. [Ken Walker, Museum Victoria. CC BY 3.0 AU]](https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/sites/gateway/files/Heterobostrychus_aequalis1_.jpg "Lesser auger beetle (Heterobostrychus aequalis) [Ken Walker, Museum Victoria. CC BY 3.0 AU]")
What plants are affected?
Lesser auger beetle has been recorded from 35 species of trees including the following genera: Adina, Albizzia, Anisoptera, Anogeissus, Bambusa, Bombax, Boswellia, Canarium, Cassia, Cedrela, Dalbergia, Dendrocalamus, Dipterocarpus, Endospermum, Garuga, Koompassia, Kydia, Lannea, Leucaena, Mangifera, Morus, Parashorea, Parishia, Poinciana, Pterocarpus, Quercus, Shorea, Sterculia, Tectona, and Terminalia (Woodruff & Fasulo 2015).
What do I look for?
All life stages are found in dry wood which is eaten by the adults and larvae. Larval borings may be 12 mm, winding for several centimetres, with adults emerging through an exit hole. The tunnels are usually filled with tightly packed, fine, sawdust-like material (frass) which is characteristic of the genus.
The adult beetles are elongate, cylindrical, reddish brown to brownish black and moderately glossy. They range from 6 to 13 mm long and 2 to 3.5 mm wide. The head is not visible from above, as it is recessed beneath the segment of the thorax that bears the first pair of legs (pronotum).
Lesser auger beetle is difficult to detect at low population levels as it feeds inside wood and external inspections to detect infestations are not reliable.
What damage can this pest cause?
Lesser auger beetle is a serious wood-boring pest of seasoned hardwood timber and nearly all wood products, including logs, sawn timber, packing cases, pallets, plywood, furniture and other manufactured wooden articles.
What do I do if I find it?
Heterobostrychus aequalis (Waterhouse, 1884) is a prohibited organism for Western Australia. It is important that any suspect infestations are reported. Early detection and eradication will help protect the Western Australian timber and wood-product industries. Please contact the Pest and Disease Information Service (PaDIS) to report this pest.
Reference
Woodruff RE & Fasulo TR 2015, Oriental wood borer: Heterobostrychus aequalis (Waterhouse) (Insecta: Coleoptera: Bostrichidae). University of Florida. <http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/trees/oriental_wood_borer.htm> [2018].