The considerations affecting the design of a spray testing chamber are discussed, and a description is given of equipment specially intended for use with mosquitos as the test insect. In essentials the apparatus consisted of a metal chamber surrounded by a “Masonite” cabinet with an air space in between. In this space air, at a constant temperature, was circulated around the outer face of the inner metal chamber and so controlled the temperature of the spray chamber. The cabinet was fitted with lights; wet and dry bulb thermometers to check the humidity, which was controlled by blowing in steam; a fan to circulate the air; a spray gun; four ports through which the insect exposure cages were introduced into the chamber; a shelf to carry these cages; and an exhaust and an intake port to allow the mist to be removed at the conclusion of the test. Finally, there was a door on one side allowing access to the interior. It will be noted that the insects were introduced into the spray chamber in cages and not allowed to fly freely. This greatly facilitated the collection of insects at the conclusion of the test. Under the routine testing conditions adopted the insects were not introduced until four minutes had elapsed after spraying. They were then exposed for ten minutes and afterwards transferred to clean recovery cages.

The practice of caging the insects and placing them on a shelf opposite a window within the spray chamber permitted the insects to be closely observed and the rate of paralysis (knockdown) to be followed. In general, however, the rate of knockdown, when it occurs, was not so sensitive a method of comparing insecticidal efficiency as the twenty-four hour percentage kill.

In practice the apparatus was found to give satisfactory results. It permitted accurate comparisons to be made between different strengths of a given insecticidal solution, but care had to be taken to ensure that the non-volatile content of the sprays being compared for toxicity was essentially similar. When this was not so, other things being equal, the spray which produced the less volatile mist (i.e., the larger particle size) gave the higher kill. When working on activators, which are usually non-volatile materials, it was therefore necessary to add an equivalent quantity of, say, high vacuum pump oil to the control spray before making the comparison. Examples of the application of the method of pyrethrum, DDT, and activated sprays are given.

The set of standard conditions chosen for the routine testing procedure were sometimes rather arbitrarily fixed but usually with due reference to the requirements of the insects or to practical testing conditions. Since two of the conditions chosen, i.e., the use of caged insects and exposure after an interval of four minutes after spraying, were rather artificial from the point of view of practice and might conceivably have led to conclusions inapplicable to practical conditions, the effect of modifying certain of the standard procedures was investigated. The results of these experiments are fully described in the text. It was concluded that temperature influenced the level of kill recorded considerably, the kill being lower when the temperature of the spray chamber was dropped 10°C. Humidity seemed to have little or no effect within the range 40–80 per cent. R.H. Increasing the interval at which the insects were inserted after spraying from 0 to 10 minutes affected the level of kill without influencing the comparative efficiency of the insecticides examined. On the other hand caging the insects had a pronounced effect on the comparative efficiency of pyrethrin sprays with and without added non-volatile material. This was thought to be due to the delay in access of the spray droplets to the caged insects which permitted a sufficient interval for the differences in particle size to become established. With caged insects inserted before spraying, therefore, the biological efficiency of a pyrethrin spray without, added non-volatile material is much lower than when some such substance as high vacuum pump oil is added, whereas this difference is much smaller when the insects are exposed free in the cabinet (Table X).

The larval habitats of Culicoides species were determined by examining a total of 1 476 samples collected from different ecological environments in various parts of Kenya. Immature stages were collected from suspected breeding habitats and adults were reared. Adults were also captured in emergence traps and then identified. To determine species preferences, if any, the materials yielding Culicoides were analysed for pH, organic matter and water content.

Fifty-seven percent of the samples yielded a total of 26 species of Culicoides. Sites in which Culicoides occurred were classified into eleven habitats grouped into four major systems, namely, aquatic, transitional, terrestrial and general systems. Most species were found breeding over a wide pH range in sites which were wet at least part of the time. A few species appeared to select breeding habitats with a high organic content.

The Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata, is considered the most important fruit pest worldwide. Its management is mainly based on the use of chemical insecticides. Although these conventional pesticides are effective at high doses, they cause considerable human health and environment problems. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess insecticidal activity of Moroccan actinobacteria against C. capitata. A total of 12 preselected actinobacteria isolated from various Moroccan habitats were screened for their insecticidal activity against larvae, pupae and adults of C. capitata. Four actinobacteria isolates were significantly active against the first-instar larvae, and nine were active against the medfly adult, while no significant mortality was obtained against the third-instar larval and pupal stages. Among the selected isolates, the biological screening revealed that strain Streptomyces LD-37, which showed 99.4% similarity with Streptomyces phaeochromogenes, exhibited the maximal corrected larval mortality of 98%. Moreover, the isolates AS1 and LD-37 showed the maximum significant corrected mortality against adults of 32.5 and 28.2%, respectively. The crude extract obtained from a fermented culture of strain S. phaeochromogenes LD-37 was separated into six fractions by thin layer chromatography. Fractions F3 and F4 caused a significant corrected larval mortality of 66.7 and 53.3%, respectively; whereas the maximum reduction in adult emergence was obtained with fraction F4. This finding could be useful for utilizing S. phaeochromogenes LD-37 as an alternative to chemical insecticides in pest management of C. capitata.

Two bioassays were conducted in parallel to assess the effects of cattle treated with either 1% ivermectin (IVM) or 3.15% IVM (dosed at 0.2 and 0.63 mg kg−1, respectively) on reproduction and survival of Onthophagus landolti Harold. Adult beetles were exposed 10 days to faeces of treated cattle starting at: one day before treatment (controls), 3, 6, 14, 28 and 35 days post-treatment. Adult survival of O. landolti was not affected by either of the two treatments. Faecal residues of 1% IVM almost completely suppressed fecundity of beetles at 3, 6 and 14 days post-treatment (dPT), and reduced fecundity of O. landolti at 28 dPT ( 38.3%), relative to controls. Meanwhile, IVM residues after treatment with 3.15% IVM almost completely suppressed fecundity of beetles at 3, 6, 14 and 28 dPT, and reduced fecundity of O. landolti at 35 dPT (80.9%), relative to controls. Larval survival was significantly reduced only at 3 dPT with 1% IVM. Meanwhile, treatment with 3.15% IVM significantly reduced larval survival at 6, 14 and 28 dPT. Larval mortality was recorded only in L-I and L-II instars. Moreover, in both bioassays, most of the L-I and L-II specimens that survived showed signs of toxicity. In conclusion, residual IVM in cattle faeces after treatment with injectable IVM has a detrimental effect on the fecundity of adult O. landolti up to 4 weeks post-treatment and on the subsequent larval survival.

In my recent revision of the mosquitos of the Australasian region the following species were mentioned as occurring in the Solomon Islands, the specimens having been for the most part collected by Dr. A. G. Carment:

Anopheles (Myzomyia) punctulatus, Dön.

Conclusions concerning the distribution and field habits of Anthrenus verbasci (L.), A. fuscus Ol. and A. museorum (L.), are based upon the results of three surveys.

The first survey comprised the collection of adults of Anthrenus from attractive flowers, e.g., hogweed, Heracleum sphondylium, in various localities furing June and July. This showed that:—

A. Verbasci occurred in large numbers only in the suburban areas of south-east England, extending also to the west along the south coast.

A. fuscus was generally distributed in all types of locality in the south reaching a peak abundance in the vicinity of farms. Its members diminished rapidly towards the north.

A. museorum occurred in small numbers only, often accompanying A. fuscus.

The second survey comprised the collection of larvae from natural habitats and included results from an earlier survey of certain birds' nests. This showed that:—

A. verbasci was characteristically an inhabitant of dry birds' nests.

A. fuscus was usually found feeding on dead insects around spiders' webs, under the bark of trees, etc.

A. museorum occurred in small numbers in company with A. fuscus.

The habitat difference between A. verbasci and A. fuscus was sharply defined. Only very rarely was one sspecies found in the habitat typical of the other.

Conwentzia psociformis (Curt.) and Conwentzia pineticola End. differ as adults in only two characters, and since there are variable and intermediate forms occur, reliable determination is sometimes impossible. In the past, these two species have often been regarded as two forms of the same species.

The immature stages of C. pineticola are, however, very different from those of C. psociformis and show that the two are distinct species and can readily be separated on larval characters. The larval stages and egg of C. pineticola are described for the first time, and an account of its life history given.

The feeding habits of these two species are described, and mention is made of two other Coniopterygid species that occur in orchards.

In order to estimate the effect of cracks in floors upon the oviposition rate of Calandra granaria (L.) in an unstocked granary, grain was presented to adults in six ways. The grain was either fixed or loose. Fixation was achieved either by placing grain in cracks in wood or plaster of Paris, or by gumming (in rows or scattered) to glass. The loose grains lay upon glass or plaster of Paris.

A significantly greater number of eggs was laid upon grain that was fixed. The fact that the grains were in rows and partially enclosed when in cracks had no greater effect than fixing with gum. There was no significant departure from a random distribution of eggs in grains when the latter were in cracks.

Independent discoveries of an Aphid attacking the roots of rice and other Gramineae in different parts of the world have led to its description under different names, and its affinity with other species has sometimes resulted in its confusion with them. The literature relating to the species is reviewed and it is shown that the correct name for it is Rhopalosiphum rufiabdominalis (Sasaki), of which Prunus is the primary host.

What is believed to be a reasonably complete synonymy is given and this involves the sinking of the two genera Yamataphis Matsumura and Aresha Mordvilko as synonyms of Rhopalosiphum Koch because both of these genera were erected with the Rice Root Aphid as type. A species that was described as Yamataphis rhodesiensis Hall differs in too many respects to permit its inclusion in Rhopalosiphum and a new genus, Hallaphis, is erected for its reception.

The host ranges of a collection of 21 tick species found on wild mammals in the savanna, forests and coastal zone of Ghana suggested that most species were adapted to feeding mainly on host species within a single mammalian order, i.e. on artiodactyls (bovids/suids), carnivores, rodents or pholidotes (pangolins). Only a few species were dispersed evenly across a range of orders. Seven out of ten of the most common ticks on forest mammals were significantly associated with a particular host species or a group of closely related host species, which could be viewed as their major host or hosts, but they were also recorded much less frequently on a wide range of host species. Two other species were confined to their major hosts. Only one species appeared to be widely dispersed on forest mammals and to lack a particular major host. The majority of tick species therefore occurred on hosts with very distinctive biological, behavioural and ecological characteristics. The study provided no evidence to support the view that host specificity is an artefact of sampling. Finding that the tick species on Ghanaian wild mammals occurred on particular hosts, as well as in distinct habitats, indicated that tick–host associations are important for tick survival and confirmed the importance of climate and vegetation in tick distribution.

Bemisia tabaci, biotype B, commonly known as the silverleaf whitefly (SLW) is an alien species that invaded Australia in the mid-90s. This paper reports on the invasion ecology of SLW and the factors that are likely to have contributed to the first outbreak of this major pest in an Australian cotton cropping system. Population dynamics of SLW within whitefly-susceptible crop (cotton and cucurbit) and non-crop vegetation (sowthistle, Sonchus spp.) components of the cropping system were investigated over four consecutive growing seasons (September–June) 2001/02–2004/05 in the Emerald Irrigation Area (EIA) of Queensland, Australia. Based on fixed geo-referenced sampling sites, variation in spatial and temporal abundance of SLW within each system component was quantified to provide baseline data for the development of ecologically sustainable pest management strategies. Parasitism of large (3rd and 4th instars) SLW nymphs by native aphelinid wasps was quantified to determine the potential for natural control of SLW populations. Following the initial outbreak in 2001/02, SLW abundance declined and stabilised over the next three seasons. The population dynamics of SLW is characterised by inter-seasonal population cycling between the non-crop (weed) and cotton components of the EIA cropping system. Cotton was the largest sink for and source of SLW during the study period. Over-wintering populations dispersed from weed host plant sources to cotton in spring followed by a reverse dispersal in late summer and autumn to broad-leaved crops and weeds. A basic spatial source-sink analysis showed that SLW adult and nymph densities were higher in cotton fields that were closer to over-wintering weed sources throughout spring than in fields that were further away. Cucurbit fields were not significant sources of SLW and did not appear to contribute significantly to the regional population dynamics of the pest. Substantial parasitism of nymphal stages throughout the study period indicates that native parasitoid species and other natural enemies are important sources of SLW mortality in Australian cotton production systems. Weather conditions and use of broad-spectrum insecticides for pest control are implicated in the initial outbreak and on-going pest status of SLW in the region.

Vespula germanica is a social wasp and an opportunistic predator. While foraging, these wasps learn and integrate different kinds of cues. They have successfully invaded many parts of the world, including native Nothofagus and Lophozonia forests located in the Andean-Patagonian region, where they forage on native arthropods. Perzelia arda, a lepidopteron defoliator of Lophozonia obliqua, uses the foliage to hide in and feed on. The purpose of this work is to study whether V. germanica use olfactory cues when foraging on P. arda. To do this, we used a Y-tube olfactometer and established three treatments to compare pairs of all combinations of stimuli (larvae, leaves with larval traces, and leaves without larval traces) and controls. Data were analysed via two developed models that showed decisions made by V. germanica and allowed to establish a scale of preferences between the stimuli. The analysis demonstrates that V. germanica wasps choose P. arda as larval prey and are capable of discriminating between the offered stimuli (deviance information criterion (DIC) null model = 873.97; DIC simple model = 84.5, n = 152). According to the preference scale, V. germanica preferred leaves with traces of larvae, suggesting its ability to associate these traces with the presence of the prey. This may be because, under natural conditions, larvae are never exposed outside their shelters of leaves and therefore V. germanica uses indirect signals. The presence of V. germanica foraging on P. arda highlights the flexible foraging behaviour of this wasp which may also act as a positive biological control, reducing lepidopteran populations.

Day and night catches of biting flies (excluding Culicidae) were made from bullock, buffalo and at light at Katookye, western Uganda, between July 1966 and August 1967. The 39 species caught were classified according to the time of day at which they bit. The seven Groups and the most commonly caught species are as follows: Group 1, Ceratopogonidae (purely nocturnal) and Glossina fuscipleuris Aust., Stomoxys ochrosoma Speiser and Haematobosca squalida (Grünb.) (diurnal and nocturnal); Group 2 (early morning peak),Haematobia minuta (Bez.),H. spinigera(Mall.)and H. thirouxi (Roub.); Group 3 (mid-morning peak), Tabanus taeniola P. de B. and T. thoracinus P. de B. Group 4 (mid-morning and late afternoon peaks), G. pallidipes Aust. males and Haematobosca latifrons (Mall.); Group 5 (early morning and evening peaks), Haematopota brunnescens Ric. females, H. patellicorne (End.) females, Stomoxys taeniata Big., S. nigra Macq., S. inornata Grünb. and S. omega Newst.; Group 6 (midday to mid-afternoon peak), G. pallidipes females, H. brucei Aust. females, T. par Wlk. females and Chrysops distinctipennis Aust. females; and Group 7 (progressive increase in biting from morning till evening), G. fuscipes Newst. and S. calcitrans (L.).

Invasive parasites are of great global concern. Understanding the factors influencing the spread of invading pest species is a first step in developing effective countermeasures. Growing empirical evidence suggests that spread rates are essentially influenced by spatiotemporal dynamics of host–parasite interactions, yet approaches modelling spread rate have typically assumed static environmental conditions. We analysed invasion history of the deer ked (Lipoptena cervi) in Finland with a diffusion–reaction model, which assumed either the movement rate, the population growth rate, or both rates may depend on spatial and temporal distribution of moose (Alces alces), the main host of deer ked. We fitted the model to the data in a Bayesian framework, and used the Bayesian information criterion to show that accounting for the variation in local moose density improved the model's ability to describe the pattern of the invasion. The highest ranked model predicted higher movement rate and growth rate of deer ked with increasing moose density. Our results suggest that the historic increase in host density has facilitated the spread of the deer ked. Our approach illustrates how information about the ecology of an invasive species can be extracted from the spatial pattern of spread even with rather limited data.

Six Australian species of Coptotermes are traditionally recognized, but recent cuticular hydrocarbon studies suggest that some of these may represent more than one species. An understanding of the phylogenetic diversity of Australian Coptotermes, particularly the pest species, is likely to be important for the improvement of termite management strategies. A study of phylogenetic relationships among species of this genus was performed, based on the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase (COII) gene, comparing the data with recent data from Asian species. Representatives of the species C. lacteus (Froggatt), C. frenchi Hill and C. michaelseni Silvestri were each found to form closely related monophyletic groups, however representatives of C. acinaciformis (Froggatt) were not. For C. acinaciformis, representatives from northern mound-building populations were found to form a distinct group to southern, tree-nesting forms. Among southern C. acinaciformis, two Western Australian representatives were found to be divergent from other populations. The results suggest that C. acinaciformis probably represents a complex of species rather than one, as has been suggested previously. One unidentified Coptotermes sp. taxon from Melbourne was found to be divergent from other taxa. Notably, some Australian species were more closely related to Asian species than other Australian species.

Field trials were conducted at four Canterbury, New Zealand locations in 2005–06 to determine if the synergistic effects of biological control by natural enemies and standard drenching techniques controlled lettuce aphid populations throughout the entire growing season. Chemical usage significantly lowered aphid densities in the outer, wrapper and heart leaves compared to control plants at most times. However, in mid-summer, natural enemies, such as the brown lacewing (Micromus tasmaniae), 11-spotted ladybird beetle (Coccinella undecimpunctata) and small hoverfly larvae (Melanostoma fasciatum), were more than sufficient to control lettuce aphids without the use of insecticides. Drenching, in addition to natural enemy attack, appears to be required in early spring and late summer to maintain very low levels of lettuce aphid. Given the potential for imidacloprid resistance to develop, it may be advisable to restrict drenches to these key periods in order to allow populations of natural enemies to maintain control of prey populations. We recommend industry support the validation of action thresholds across different regions within New Zealand and focus on the seasonal biology of predators to assist growers with the sustainable long-term control of lettuce aphids. The inclusion of additional data into an economic model to compare pest damage with predator loading would be useful for growers in managing aphid problems. These results will assist in the continued improvement and development of a sustainable IPM strategy for lettuce aphids in New Zealand and elsewhere.

The morphology and ultrastructure of aphid mummies formed by diapausing and non-diapausing larvae of Aphidius rhopalosiphi De Stefani Perez, are described. Two types of silk thread were present in both types of cocoons: well-structured rounded threads, and flat threads which form a gum coating. Differences in thecocoon weight were observed depending on parasitoid development. A morphometric characterization of the two groups of mummies is given.

The subgenus Larroussius of Phlebotomus includes several vectors of visceral leishmaniasis. A key is given for the tropical African species, three of which are described for the first time. Notes on the species include a discussion of the status of P. langeroni orientalis Parrot, one of the three species from the Ethiopian Region known to transmit leishmaniasis.

Larval responses of Delia radicum (Linnaeus), D. floralis (Fallén) and D. antiqua (Meigen) to plant volatiles were measured using a behavioural assay. Larvae were attracted to their host-plant, but non host-plants either had no effect or were repellent. Testing of individual secondary plant volatiles indicated that larvae were attracted to secondary plant volatiles from their host-plant, but were neither attracted nor repelled by secondary plant volatiles from non host-plants. A general plant volatile did not have this effect.

Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) and H. punctigera (Wallengren) are major pests of cotton in Australia. The density of eggs and larvae of these species are sampled regularly throughout the growing season to assess the need for insecticidal control. A sampling system now widely used is based on binomial sampling combined with a series of conversion relationships developed as part of the SIRATAC computer based pest management system established in the early 1980s. A three year study was initiated to reassess the binomial sampling conversion relationship in the light of changed agronomic practices and new cotton varieties. New relationships were established to predict the mean number of Helicoverpa spp. present, based upon the number of infested plants found within a sample. Relationships are reported for the sampling of whole plants and the sampling of the terminal (top 20 cm) portion of cotton plants only. These new relationships will be incorporated into entomoLOGIC, a personal computer based pest management system now released to replace SIRATAC.