32 BULLETIN 1107, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



On seven different occasions from July 8 to August 8, 268 beetles 

 Avere placed in each cage. The beetles crawled all over the cable 

 and rings and mated and otherwise acted normally. In a similar 

 cage suspended in the tree and inclosing several sections of oak wood 

 they entered the wood and laid their eggs. In the cable cages, how- 

 ever, they made only a few minor attempts to bore the cable. On 

 one occasion a quantity of alcohol was poured on a section of the 

 cable in an attempt to stimulate them to action, but without effect. 



Office cage. — Two screen cages were placed around two different 

 600-pair commercial cables in the basement of the Palo Alto tele- 

 phone office. These cables lead directly to the switchboard. On 

 six different occasions from June 30 to September 21. 260 beetles 

 were placed in each of these cages. Only a few minor attempts to 

 bore the cables were made by the beetles. 



Battery cage and alcohol cage. — The wire chief of the Palo Alto 

 office of the Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co. suggested that there 

 might be some slight galvanic action between the galvanized suspen- 

 sion rings and the lead sheath. In order to determine the attractive 

 effect of a slight current on the beetles and also whether they could 

 detect alcohol through the lead sheathing, a small wire-screen cage 

 was made and suspended from the ceiling of the basement by strings. 



Two sections of lead cable sheathing about 12 inches long were 

 emptied of the inclosed wires. One was filled with grain alcohol 

 and sealed at both ends, and the other was left empty and sealed 

 at both ends. Both were suspended by strings in the cage. The 

 alcohol-filled cable was suspended just far enough above the bottom 

 of the cage to allow the beetles crawling on the cage to reach it. The 

 empty cable was suspended in a similar manner. One end was 

 attached to a battery which had the other pole attached to the screen 

 of the cage. The idea was that the beetle crawling on the bottom of 

 the cage would complete the circuit as soon as it touched the cable. 



During the period from July 22 to August 8, 110 beetles were 

 placed in the cage on three occasions. The cables were removed on 

 August 12 and carefully examined. Each showed a few slight 

 scratches'but no definite boring. A strip of heavy paper was placed 

 on the bottom of the cage to give the beetles a smooth foundation 

 from which to bore. Thirty beetles were placed in the cage, and on 

 August 22. 15 more. August 29 the cables were removed and again 

 examined. The alcohol cable was bored twice at one of the sealed 

 ends. One beetle had penetrated to the alcohol and was drowned in 

 its hole. The battery cable had one hole toward the middle. Avhere 

 a beetle or beetles had entered and two holes at one end where beetles 

 had gone out. 



The holes were plugged with wax and the cables replaced in the 

 cage with 50 beetles. On September 7, 12 fresh beetles were placed 



