FABI researchers have a long and globally recognized history of research on the fungi associated with bark and ambrosia fungi.  This dates back to the early 1970s where the topic formed part of the MSc project of Prof. Mike Wingfield. Many of these fungi have been maintained in the culture collection (CMW) of FABI, but the sampling for the three bark beetles, Orthotomicus erosus, Hylurgus ligniperda and Hylastes angustatus is incomplete.  As part of a global collaborative project including colleagues from Croatia, Australia and New Zealand, work has begun to establish the most comprehensive collection of the fungi from these beetles, and a few other related species accidentally introduced into southern-hemisphere pine plantations. During the week of 3 August, Profs Mike and Brenda Wingfield, Dr Nam Pham, Dr Wilma Nel and MSc student Nadia Gürtel, were joined by Croatian colleagues Dr Marta Kovač, Dr Milan Pernek on a visit to Sappi plantations in the Nelspruit area. Sappi colleagues Prof. Jolanda Roux, Katherine Spencer and Thembela Lulane hosted the visit and had prepared numerous beetle traps including recently felled billets and those using pheromone or kairomone baits. Many beetles were collected including examples of the newly reported Cyrtogenius luteusand isolations were made for specially the Ophiostomatoid fungi. Further isolation work will continue in FABI where the fungi will be identified based on DNA-based phylogenetic inference. Genomes will be sequenced for selected species to enable future population genetic studies to consider pathways of introduction of the beetles and their fungal associates.