Which wood-destroying insect is known for its distinctive round exit holes?

The insect recognized for producing distinctive round exit holes is the powderpost beetle. These small beetles are notorious for their wood-destroying capabilities, specifically targeting hardwoods. The round holes they create as adults emerge from the wood surface, where they have tunneled and fed while in the larval stage.

This unique characteristic helps to identify powderpost beetle infestations, as the exit holes are often quite noticeable on treated wood surfaces. Unlike carpenter ants, which create larger irregular openings and are known for building nests within wood rather than leaving round exit holes, or termites, which do not leave visible exit holes because they consume wood from the inside out, powderpost beetles display this distinct feature prominently. Additionally, ants as a broader category do not produce such exit holes when they interact with wood—rather, they may just excavate or damage it indirectly. Therefore, the presence of rounded exit holes is a strong indicator of powderpost beetle activity.