Nitidulid beetles were sampled from old-growth and mature managed hemlock-hardwood forest stands in southeastern Ontario, Canada. Large-area flight-intercept traps and trunk-window traps were operated for 22 weeks in 2003 and yielded 2129 nitidulid beetles representing 30 species. Species richness was similar in both forest types but relative abundance was higher in managed stands. Other diversity measures (rarefaction-estimated species richness, Fisher's α, Simpson's index) were all higher in old-growth stands, and managed stands were separated from old-growth stands in cluster analyses based on overall species diversity. These results were strongly influenced by the dominance of Glischrochilus quadrisignatus (Say) in two managed stands; removal of that species from analyses resulted in higher species diversity in managed stands and no distinct separation of forest types in cluster analyses. Indicator species analysis showed that G. quadrisignatus and Pallodes pallidus (Palisot de Beauvois) were strongly associated with managed stands. Glischrochilus sanguinolentus (Olivier) was collected more frequently in trunk-window traps than in flight-intercept traps and data suggested a possible association of this beetle with old-growth stands. Pallodes pallidus and Cychramus adustus Erichson, both known to feed on fleshy white fungi, displayed a clear division in seasonal abundance peaks, suggesting that resource partitioning may be occurring.

Mariner-like element sequences were recovered from the genome of the orange wheat midge, Sitodiplosis mosellana (Géhin), with degenerate PCR primers designed to conserved regions of mariner transposases. The deduced amino acid sequences of the mariner-like transposases from S. mosellana showed 67% to 78% identity with the peptide sequences of other mariner transposases. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that the mariner-like elements from S. mosellana grouped in the mauritiana subfamily of mariner transposons. Results from Southern blot analysis suggest mariner-like elements are at a moderate copy number in the genome of S. mosellana.

We investigated changes in a wild bee community by repeating a detailed historical study of bee biodiversity in Ontario. In 1968 and 1969 (period 1), an inventory of bee species was taken from an old field habitat in southern Ontario. We resampled the bee fauna in 2002 and 2003 (period 2), following the same methods. Bee species richness, diversity, and evenness were significantly greater in period 2, and this was observed in all functional guilds except wood-nesting, pollen specialist, and nonnative bees. In period 2, a total of 150 bee species were found (2002, 98 species; 2003, 143 species), whereas in period 1, a total of 105 species were found (1968, 98 species; 1969, 76 species). Although 90 bee species collected in period 1 were re-collected in period 2, bee community composition was remarkably different between periods, with an estimated community similarity of only 7.5%. Changes in the bee fauna, specifically the increase in the proportions of pollen specialist and wood-nesting bees, might be best explained by changes in the habitat as a result of succession over the intervening 34 years. We compare and contrast our findings of bee community change with the published literature and discuss the possible factors driving the change.

In this paper, we review the pteronyssid feather mites of the genera Pteronyssus Robin, Scutulanyssus Mironov, and Stenopteronyssus Faccini and Atyeo found in the course of an investigation into ectoparasites of birds in Canada. Five new species of feather mites are described: Pteronyssus sphyrapicinussp. nov. from the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus varius (L.); Stenopteronyssus proctoraesp. nov. from the Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus (L.); Scutulanyssus progneisp. nov. and Scutulanyssus subissp. nov. from the Purple Martin, Progne subis (L.); and Scutulanyssus petrochelidonissp. nov. from the Cliff Swallow, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota (Vieillot). New host records are provided for Pteronyssus picoides Černy and Schumilo from the Downy Woodpecker, Picoides pubescens (L.), and for Scutulanyssus obscurus (Berlese) from the Cliff Swallow; Pteronyssus brevipes Berlese and Scutulanyssus hirundicolus Mironov are formally recorded in North America for the first time; and Pteronyssus centurus McDaniel and Price is reported for the first time in Canada, from Lewis' Woodpecker, Melanerpes lewis (Gray). Scutulanyssus tyrrelli (Canestrini) is reported for the first time in Manitoba from the Tree Swallow, Tachycineta bicolor (Vieillot). Keys are provided for all species of Pteronyssus and Scutulanyssus found in North America.

A taxonomic study of the genus Baaora Dworakowska in China is reported. Seven species are treated, one of which is reported for the first time in China, and five new species, B. dworakowskaesp. nov., B. apicimaculatasp. nov., B. fuscasp. nov., B. nigritergitasp. nov., and B. aberrantasp. nov., are described and illustrated. A checklist of all Chinese species and a key to distinguish them are provided.

I conducted dual-choice oviposition bioassays to test the hypothesis that spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens), prefer the foliage architecture (spatial arrangement of foliage needles) of white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss; Pinaceae) to that of balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) P. Mill.; Pinaceae). Needles of white spruce radiate around the twig axis, giving the foliage a round architecture. Needles of balsam fir typically radiate bilaterally from the twig axis, giving the foliage a flat architecture, although on some trees foliage needles radiate around the twig axis, giving the foliage a round architecture. In bioassays, females showed a 2.4:1 preference for white spruce over "flat" balsam fir foliage, but this preference was reduced significantly to a 1.2:1 ratio when balsam fir had a round architecture. Given a choice between "round" and "flat" balsam fir foliage, females preferred the "round" foliage by a 2.2:1 margin. A similar preference for the round architecture was also observed when artificial (plastic) foliage with the two types of needle arrangements were compared. I conclude that the spatial arrangement of foliage needles is a major factor responsible for the oviposition preference of spruce budworm for white spruce over balsam fir.

Development rate and age-specific fecundity and survival of Ericaphis fimbriata (Richards) virginoparae were determined during the spring on young leaves of blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum L., as functions of temperature. The same traits were measured during the summer and the autumn on both young and mature leaves at 21.2 °C. The temperature threshold for development was 4.1 ± 0.5 °C (SE). For apterae, development time from birth to adult was 157.7 ± 5.9 day-degrees (dd). Proportional lengths of instars I–IV were 0.16, 0.14, 0.34, and 0.36, respectively. Adult life was 434.5 ± 17.5 dd and proportional lengths of the pre-reproductive, reproductive, and post-reproductive periods were 0.05, 0.74, and 0.21, respectively. Mean fecundity was 23.6 ± 1.0 nymphs per female. Mean survival was 602.9 ± 14.6 dd, and more than 80% of apterae survived the peak reproductive period. Alate fecundity was 16.5 ± 3.2 nymphs per female and alate survival was 460.9 ± 47.5 dd. Leaf type and season of measurement had significant effects on development time and fecundity: development time was 158.2 dd (+4.9 upper asymmetric SE) on young V. corymbosum ‘Duke’ leaves in the spring but 312.4 dd (–16.9 lower asymmetric SE) on mature ‘Bluecrop’ leaves, the dominant leaf type, from a commercial field in the summer. Fecundity for the respective leaf types and seasons was 16.7 (–1.6) and 1.4 (+0.5) nymphs per female. From summer to autumn, development time increased on young ‘Duke’ and ‘Bluecrop’ leaves but decreased on mature ‘Bluecrop’ leaves; fecundity decreased on young ‘Duke’ and ‘Bluecrop’ leaves but remained at low levels on mature ‘Bluecrop’ leaves. A simulation model showed that seasonal changes in development time and fecundity were capable of reducing population growth rates to near zero depending on aphid distribution with respect to young and mature leaves. The results support a combined bottom-up and top-down view of aphid population regulation and suggest that control efforts should focus on the spring, when the population growth rate is maximal.

The effect of certain monounsaturated dodecene and tetradecene acetates and alcohols on electroantennogram (EAG) response and pheromone-mediated trap catch was examined in male obliquebanded leafroller moths, Choristoneura rosaceana (Harris) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). The stimulation of antennae with 0.1 ng of (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate (Z11-14:Ac), the major pheromone compound of this species, elicited an EAG response. The use of 1 ng of (Z)-9-tetradecenyl acetate (Z9-14:Ac) or (E)-9-tetradecenyl acetate (E9-14:Ac) or 10 ng of (Z)-9-dodecenyl acetate (Z9-12:Ac) or (E)-9-dodecenyl acetate (E9-12:Ac) was required to elicit a response. One hundred nanograms of (E)-9-tetradecenol (E9-14:OH) were required to elicit a response from antennae. The stimulation of antennae with up to 100 ng of (Z)-9-tetradecenol (Z9-14:OH) did not elicit a response. The addition of 0.1 mg of Z9-12:Ac to 1 mg of synthetic C. rosaceana pheromone consisting of a 100:2:1.5:1 blend of Z11-14:Ac, (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetate, (Z)-11-tetradecenol, and (Z)-11-tetradecenal reduced the capture of moths in pheromone-baited traps by more than 72%. Trap catch was reduced by more than 90% by the addition of 0.01 mg of Z9-14:Ac or E9-14:Ac to 1 mg of C. rosaceana pheromone. There was no detectable reduction in trap catch when 1 mg of E9-12:Ac, Z9-14:OH, or E9-14:OH was added to 1 mg of C. rosaceana pheromone. There was a greater than 95% reduction in trap catch when sources of Z9- or E9-12:Ac were mounted at the entrances to traps, 10 cm from the pheromone source. Trap catch was not affected by placing sources of Z9- or E9-14:Ac at trap entrances. Four 1 or 10 mg sources of E9-14:Ac placed 1 m from a trap did not affect the number of male C. rosaceana captured. The study demonstrates that although a compound may have profound attraction inhibiting activity when mixed directly with C. rosaceana pheromone, this activity may be lost if the inhibitor is emitted a short distance from the pheromone. The study also demonstrates that a potent attraction inhibitor such as E9-14:Ac does not repel C. rosaceana males and must be present along with pheromone to affect the behavior of this species.

We examined capture rates of honey bee workers (Apis mellifera L.) throughout the year and compared capture rates among four different vegetation communities. Capture rates varied throughout the year, with the largest number of bees collected from December through February, when nectar and pollen availability were low. Capture rates also varied among vegetation communities. Traps located in the woodland community contained fewer honey bees than those located in live oak in February and live oak and brushland in December, corresponding to lower estimates of nectar availability in the woodland. Few honey bees were collected during swarming periods, suggesting that most of the captured honey bees were searching for food sources. The number of honey bees collected in the traps provided a qualitative estimate of food resource availability. The traps also may be used to collect insects for genetic analysis or to examine the spatial and temporal distribution of other species.

We found larvae of Chylizasplendida Iwasa (Diptera: Psilidae) feeding on galls induced by Asphondyliabaca Monzen (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) on the buds of Weigelafloribunda (Sieb. & Zucc.) K. Koch (Caprifoliaceae) in Japan. This is the first confirmed report of cecidophagy in the Psilidae.

This study consisted of two field experiments designed to assess the effects of acaricide treatment timing on the mean abundance of the mite Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman and its impact on honey production and colony survival in honey bees, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae). In the first experiment, replicated colonies with different levels of infestation by V. destructor were given one of six treatments: untreated, with a low level of infestation by V. destructor; untreated, with a moderate level of infestation by V. destructor; exposed to fluvalinate for 42 days; exposed to two applications of Perizin®; or exposed to four applications of a pour-on formulation of formic acid at 4- or 10-day intervals. The six treatments were applied in either spring or fall. In experiment two, replicated colonies with a high level of infestation by V. destructor were left untreated, exposed to fluvalinate for 42 days, exposed to five applications of formic acid at 7-day intervals, or exposed to an equivalent amount of formic acid applied as a slow-release formulation. For each experiment, V. destructor densities, measured by alcohol wash, and colony survival were monitored for 1 year, and honey production was assessed in the year in which the spring treatment was applied. The results showed that all of the acaricide treatments were effective in reducing the mean abundance of V. destructor. However, efficacy varied with season. Fluvalinate was effective in controlling varroa under either spring or fall treatment conditions. Fall applications of Perizin® provided better control than spring applications. Formic acid provided consistent control of V. destructor in spring applications, regardless of the interval between treatments or whether pour-on or slow-release formulations were used, but was ineffective in the fall. Honey production was improved by spring acaricide treatments in both years. When the mean abundance of V. destructor was 0.02 ± 0.005 mites per bee (2 mites per 100 bees) in mid-April, honey production increased from 66 ± 17 kg per colony in untreated colonies to up to 116 ± 23 kg per colony in colonies treated with acaricide. When V. destructor levels were 0.21 ± 0.02 mites per bee (21 mites per 100 bees) in mid-May, spring acaricide treatments increased honey production from 1.3 ± 2.3 kg per untreated colony to up to 48 ± 17 kg per acaricide-treated colony. For the prairie region of Canada, producers will need to assess colonies in both spring and fall and treat when the mean abundance of V. destructor is more than 0.02 mites per bee (2 mites per 100 bees) in spring to prevent losses in honey production. Producers should treat when the mite level is greater than 0.04 mites per bee (4 mites per 100 bees) in late August to early September to prevent fall or winter colony loss. In this study, tracheal mite (Acarapis woodi (Rennie)) (Acari: Tarsonemidae) levels were very low, so interactions between mites were not studied. If both tracheal and varroa mites are present, lower fall thresholds might be required. In the absence of tracheal mites, colonies with varroa mite levels of more than 0.17 mites per bee (17 mites per 100 bees) in late fall experienced significant winter loss.

The widely occurring fungal genus Lecanicillium Zare & W. Gams (formerly Verticillium) includes species that are pathogenic to insects. We collected 27 Lecanicillium isolates from soil and from dead adult Pissodes strobi (Peck) in British Columbia, Canada, and assessed their virulence against this host. Eighteen isolates were identified as L. longisporum (Petch) Zare & W. Gams and six as L. muscarium (Petch) Zare & W. Gams, while three isolates could not be identified to the species level. We assayed a subset of these isolates (14 L. longisporum, 3 L. muscarium, and 1 Lecanicillium sp.) as well as the fungal component of the commercial products Mycotal® (L. muscarium) and Vertalec® (L. longisporum) and a herbarium isolate (Lecanicillium sp.). When adult weevils were inoculated with a conidial suspension (1 × 107 conidia/mL), mycosis-related mortality at the end of a 17-day incubation period varied between 20% and 100%, depending on the isolate tested. Eight of the isolates killed >75% of weevils: a Lecanicillium sp. isolate, PFC19, which displayed the lowest LT50 value; five indigenous L. longisporum isolates; and both commercial products. In a goodness-of-fit test comparing isolate virulence among species, the unidentified PFC19 isolate was found to be more effective than either L. longisporum or L. muscarium, while L. longisporum caused somewhat greater mortality than L. muscarium. In a similar analysis, isolates extracted from soils tended to be more effective than those obtained from cadavers. Horizontal transmission to live P. strobi was observed using different isolates of Lecanicillium species. Notwithstanding the variability in virulence, the indigenous Lecanicillium species that we isolated and assayed are confirmed as pathogenic to P. strobi in British Columbia.

Field trapping trials showed that Cameraria gaultheriella Walsingham and C. lobatiella Opler and Davis (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) were attracted in significant numbers in British Columbia, Canada, to sticky traps baited with 10 µg of (E,Z)-8,10-tetradecadienal (E8Z10-14Ald), the sex pheromone of the European horse chestnut leafminer, C. ohridella Deschka and Dimic. There was perfect specificity in captures at habitats located only about 8 km apart from each other: C. gaultheriella was captured exclusively at a humid habitat covered by the shrub salal, Gaultheria shallon Pursh (Ericaceae), whereas C. lobatiella was trapped at an arid location with Garry oak trees, Quercus garryana Dougl. (Fagaceae). Seasonal flight patterns of these two Canadian Cameraria species, as monitored by pheromone traps, indicated differences in their respective flight periods. The possibility of additional cryptic components in the respective pheromones of these three Cameraria species attracted to E8Z10-14Ald is discussed.