Three egg parasites, Sozites kerichoensis Kerrich (Ichneumonidae), Oligositoides semicinctium De Santis (Trichogrammatidae), and Platystasius benjamini Nixon (Scelionidae) were reared from egg-masses of two closely related Entypotrachelus species indigenous in the tropical rain forest of Kenya. E. meyeri Kolbe occurs west of the Rift Valley, and E. micans Hust. occurs in the foot-hills south and west of Mt. Kenya, east of the Rift Valley. When the forests are cleared, both species transfer from forest trees, weeds and shrubs to newly planted tea and Cinchona spp. where the larvae feed on the roots and the adults feed and oviposit on the leaves.

The encyrtid genus Tachinaephagus is revised, and a key to species presented. Four species are described and illustrated: T. stomoxicida sp. n., a very important parasite of Stomoxys nigra Macq. from Uganda and Mauritius; T. malayensis sp. n. from Malaysia; T. javensis sp. n. from Indonesia; and T. congoensis sp. n. from Zaïre. A lectotype is designated for T. zealandicus Ashm., the type-species of Tachinaephagus, and this genus as defined here is restricted to larval and pupal parasites of Diptera. Zeteticontus, which is superficially similar, is in fact distinct, and characters separating the two genera are tabulated.

Ground beetle data were generated using pitfall traps in the 17-year period from 1993 to 2009 and used to investigate the effects of changes in surrounding crop cover on beetle activity and assemblages, together with the effects of weather variability. Beetles were recorded from non-crop field margins (overgrown hedges). Crop cover changes explained far more variation in the beetle assemblages recorded than did temperature and rainfall variation. A reduction in management intensity and disturbance in the crops surrounding the traps, especially the introduction and development of willow coppice, was concomitant with changes in individual species activity and assemblage composition of beetles trapped in non-crop habitat. There were no consistent patterns in either overall beetle activity or in the number of species recorded over the 17-year period, but there was a clear change from assemblages dominated by smaller species with higher dispersal capability to ones with larger beetles with less dispersal potential and a preference for less disturbed agroecosystems. The influence of surrounding crops on ground beetle activity in non-crop habitat has implications for ecosystem service provision by ground beetles as pest predators. These results are contrary to conventional assumptions and interpretations, which suggest activity of pest predators in crops is influenced primarily by adjacent non-crop habitat. The long-term nature of the assessment was important in elucidation of patterns and trends, and indicated that policies such as agri-environment schemes should take cropping patterns into account when promoting management options that are intended to enhance natural pest control.

Subcylindrical, brilliant metallic green to coppery green, with legs and three last ventral segments fulvous, and a large fulvous spot on vertex of head.

It is a remarkable fact that out of the six commonly occurring species of the family Scarabaeidae (chafers, white grubs) in Britain, five are constantly reported as causing damage, either as grubs or as adults, to agricultural and forest crops. Thus, of the six species listed in Table I, only the last named, Anomala aenea, de Geer, which is very abundant locally on sand-dunes, finds agricultural conditions unsuitable to its existence.

The existence in Mauritius of the Melolonthid beetle, Phytalus smithi, Arrow, was detected for the first time in July 1911 on those lands of Mon Rocher Estate which adjoin the Royal Botanical Gardens of Pamplemousses. It was at once suspected that this new pest of the sugar-cane must have been conveyed into the Colony by some shipment or other of sugar-cane cuttings from abroad, but no clue could be found as to its country of origin until February 1912, when it was detected in Barbados by Mr. Guy A. K. Marshall, Director of the Imperial Bureau of Entomology, who was then on his way to the Agricultural Conference held at Trinidad in that year.

An increased indoor population of Anopheles sacharovi at the start of hibernation is recorded.

Figures are given for dissections of A. sacharovi during the winter months, showing an infectivity rate (sporozoites) of 0·41 per cent.

Eggs of A. sacharovi laid at the end of hibernation are described.

An account is given of an area in Northern Persia where A. sacharovi is present in association with a lower endemicity of malaria than is usual.

We are indebted to Lt.-Col. D. N. Keys, R.A.M.C., Major J. Yofe, R.A.M.C., and Major R. Hillman, R.A.M.C., for their interest and help in these observations.

Parasitoids, released in augmentative biological control programmes, which display a rapid host-location capacity, have a higher likelihood of successfully controlling target pest species. By learning to associate sensory cues to a suitable oviposition site, might parasitoids used as biological control agents, locate hosts more rapidly, and perhaps increase the efficacity of e.g. Tephritidae fruit fly management. We studied associative learning of Fopius arisanus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and tested its range of learning in natural and conditional hosts and host fruits, i.e. Bactrocera dorsalis, Zeugodacus cucurbitae, Ceratitis capitata and Ceratitis cosyra (Diptera: Tephritidae) and on fruits (papaya, tomato, banana). Naïve female F. arisanus were compared with experienced wasps, which had been offered infested and non-infested fruit, and been allowed to oviposit. Preferences for olfactory cues from infested fruits were thereafter assessed in a two-choice olfactometer. Naïve and trained parasitoids preference differed in general and non-responders to infested fruits were higher among naïve parasitoids. The trained wasps preferred the fruit infested in the training more than the control fruit, for all combination, except when C. cosyra infested the fruits, hence avoidance behavioural response was observed towards the odour of the infested fruit. Fopius arisanus was capable of behaviourally respond to the learned information, e.g. associative odour learning was achieved, yet limited depending on interaction level, fruit fly and fruit combination. To create F. arisanus preference of an associated odour, it might hence be needed to ensure oviposition in perceived suitable host and host fruit, for the parasitoid learning to become favourable in a biological control setup.

Grasshoppers are one of the most predominant insects in the grasslands of the southern Pampas. In this region, Dichroplus elongatus, Dichroplus maculipennis, Dichroplus pratensis and Borellia bruneri are the most abundant species and have the greatest economic importance. This study aimed to assess the relationship between temporal changes in the density of these species and climate variables associated with temperature and rainfall over an 11-year study period., We monitored 22 sites in different areas of Laprida county from 2005 to 2016. A total of 25 grasshopper species were collected. The most abundant species were D. maculipennis and B. bruneri which reached the highest densities from 2008–2009 to 2010–2011. The rainfall accumulated from September (RAS) to the sampling date and the number of rainy days (RD) largely explained the density variation of B. bruneri. Besides RD and RAS, winter rainfall, rainfall accumulated from October to the sampling date, and thermal amplitude of October (TAO) influenced the density of D. maculipennis. Our results indicated that seasons with less rainfall and fewer RD favored these two species’ abundance. We identified that the RD and TAO contributed significantly to variations in the density of D. elongatus. In contrast to the other two species, we recorded D. elongatus in seasons with high rainfall and high RD. A better understanding of the climate influence on the life cycle of these economically important insects may identify key factors in their population dynamics which in turn may improve management options.

Tamarixia leucaenae sp. n. is described from Trinidad as a parasitoid of Heteropsylla cubana Crawford. The psyllid is a serious pest of Leucaena leucocephala, which is used as a shade tree in plantations of various crops in the tropics.

In studies in Western Australia, temperatures in air and one- and two-litre pads of cattle dung set out weekly and ranging from one to 20 days old were measured hourly for 438 days over all seasons, producing 1437 day x dung-pad observations. Daily maximum temperatures (and hence thermal accumulation) in cattle dung pads could not be accurately predicted using meteorological data alone. An accurate predictor of daily maximum dung temperature, using multiple regression analysis, required measurement of the following factors: maximum air temperature, hours of sunshine, rainfall, a seasonal factor (the day number derived from a linear interpolation of day number from day 0 at the winter solstice to day 182 at the preceding and following summer solstices) and a dung-pad age-specific intercept term, giving an equation that explained a 91·4% of the variation in maximum dung temperature. Daily maximum temperature in two-litre dung pads was 0·6°C cooler than in one-litre pads. Daily minimum dung temperature equalled minimum air temperature, and daily minimum dung temperatures occurred at 05.00 h and maximum temperatures at 14.00 h for one-litre and 14.30 h for two-litre pads. Thus, thermal summation in a dung pad above any threshold temperature can be computed using a skewed sine curve fitted to daily minimum air temperature and the calculated maximum dung temperature.

It is widely known that the biological method for the control of insect pests is receiving considerable attention from Economic Entomologists at the present day. One of the insects against which this method is being tried is the common earwig (Forficula auricularia), which is a very serious pest of orchards, etc., in such countries as New Zealand where it it has been accidentally introduced from Europe.

Through co-operation between the Imperial Bureau of Entomology, Rothamsted Experimental Station, and the Cawthron Institute, Nelson, attempts have been made to control the earwig in New Zealand by the introduction of two Tachinid flies that are parasitic on it, Digonochaeta setipennis, Fln., and Rhacodineura antiqua, Meig. These flies are obligatory parasites, being entirely dependent on this particular host for the completion of their life-cycle, and they are lethal in effect. The larvae having emerged from their dead or moribund host, soon pupate, and it is in the pupal stadium that these insects can most conveniently be transmitted in cold storage. Mr. A. M. Altson, of the Imperial Bureau of Entomology, was in charge of this work in England in 1924 and 1925, but, unfortunately, owing to ill-health he was obliged to give it up. In the autumn of 1926, at the request of Dr. Tillyard, it was decided to forward a further batch of parasitic puparia to New Zealand. For this purpose large quantities of earwigs had to be captured in the field, and transferred to cages in the laboratory, in order that the parasites which emerged from the earwigs could be collected.

A new species of Tachinidae, Mycteromyiella phasmatophaga sp.n., from Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands is described and figured; descriptive notes and figures are also given for the related species M. laetifica (Mesnil), to supplement the original description. Both species are recorded as parasites of the Phasmatid Ophicrania levari Günther in the Solomon Islands.

A simple apparatus incorporating a photographic light meter is described, which is used for rapid measurement of the amount consumed by insect larvae of black filter-paper impregnated with plant extracts.

Iraqerus neveosparsus sp.n. is described from Quercus spp. in Iraq and a key is given separating the new genus from Stegelytra Mulsant & Rey and Iberia Kirkaldy.

An assay based on recovery rates of released laboratory-reared flies was used to compare the field performance in Australia of a series of strains bearing compound chromosomes with that of wild-type strains of Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann). The compound chromosome strains tested all performed less well than the wild-type strains. Four of the former were recovered on average 0·37 times as readily as the average wild-type strain, and one was recovered 0·65 times as readily. The compound chromosome strains differed in the selection pressure they had been exposed to in the field, which had selected among the various compound chromosomes in an original strain and in the extent to which their non-compound chromosomes had been replaced by recently collected field material. The strain that performed best had been exposed to the most severe selection pressure, overwintering in the field, and had had much of its non-compound genome replaced. Among the group of strains with similar performance, some had had their non-compound genome replaced with field genetic material.

Telenomus podisi Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) is the most important egg parasitoid of Euschistus heros (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), and its successful parasitism is related to their searching ability to find suitable hosts under a complex chemical environment using host-reliable cues. Thus, the objective of this study was to elucidate chemical substances on the external layer of E. heros eggs and report its potential kairomonal activity on T. podisi. We tested female wasps in olfactometer system to synthetic compounds obtained from a chemical identification of E. heros egg masses. The synthetic blend was also evaluated in parasitism tests under laboratory and semi-field conditions. We identified 31 substances from egg surface extracts, including monoterpenes, aldehydes and alkanes. Among those compounds, a synthetic solution including camphene, β-pinene, limonene and benzaldehyde-induced chemotaxic behaviour on the wasps and increased the parasitism on E. heros eggs, either in laboratory or semi-field test, suggesting its potential use to T. podisi manipulation and parasitism improvement.

Interference with reproduction in Glossina morsitans morsitans Westw. by diflubenzuron depends on a variety of factors that influence its uptake and loss from the female fly. The duration of its eftect depends on the site and method of application to the fly as well as the amount of material applied. In nulliparous females, loss of diflubenzuron was by excretion, but as the fly aged approximately 50% of the material remaining within the fly was lost with each larviposition. Following injection, the rate of loss of diflubenzuron by excretion was twice that from flies treated topically, but in neither was it directly related to the amount of diflubenzuron within the fly. Loss to the in utero larva, however, was governed by the amount of material within the fly, at least 9 ng diflubenzuron being necessary for production of an abnormal offspring. In injected flies, the overall loss was twice that from flies treated topically on the dorsal thorax and similar to those treated topically on the ventral abdomen. This difference in the rate of loss from topically-treated flies seems to be related to the amount of material available on the surface of the fly, the cuticle apparently acting as a storage site from which there is a gradual release of diflubenzuron into the fly.

The great increase, in recent years, in the number of contact insecticides has created a demand for methods whereby the content of active substance in samples of these insecticides may be estimated quantitatively in a simple manner. Such methods are important, because on the one hand the producer wishes to know if his product meets the necessary requirements and on the other hand the official services concerned with the control of insect pests must be able to test the fundamental value of commercial preparations. Moreover quantitative methods for the estimation of contact insecticides are useful for scientific research in this field.