Ethanol in wood tissue facilitates colonization of trees by certain ambrosia beetles. There is evidence that pH may influence colonization of trees by ambrosia beetles. The influence of pH on colonization of tree stems will be tested by soaking wood bolts in various concentrations of acetic acid. Then, bolts will be deployed in the field to allow natural colonization by ambrosia beetles. After 1 week in the field, bolts will be transported to the lab and maintained for 2 weeks to allow colonization to proceed. After 2 weeks in the lab, bolts will be dissected to determine the presence of offspring in the galleries. The proportion of galleries with offspring and numbers of offspring per gallery will be compared among treatments. Preliminary evidence suggests a synergistic relationship between ethanol and acetic acid on colonization by ambrosia beetles.
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