Canadian Cretaceous amber belongs to the Taber Coal Zone, and was deposited in beds of coal and shale saturated with organic matter. It is upper Campanian (~76–72 million years ago), and the source of the original resin is predominantly the plant genus Parataxodium Arnold and Lowther (Cupressaceae). We describe the first oribatid mite from this amber, Megeremaeus cretaceousnew species (Acari: Oribatida: Megeremaeidae). We provide a key to all described species of Megeremaeus Higgins and Woolley, 1965, and discuss the advantages that confocal microscopy provides for the study of dark, resin-filled, miniature amber inclusions.

In this study, we explore the low-temperature thresholds of a pest of apple (Malus pumila Miller; Rosaceae), the eyespotted bud moth, Spilonota ocellana Denis and Schiffermüller (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), in the context of spring frost. Spilonota ocellana overwinters as a larva, resuming activity and feeding early in the growing season when it could be vulnerable to unexpected freezing temperatures. We determined that the mean supercooling point of spring instars did not differ for larvae within or outside leaf shelters and ranged from −9.1±0.2 °C for fourth instars, to −7.9±0.2 °C for sixth instars. Larval weight increased with instar and was positively related to the supercooling point. As some insects are freeze tolerant and able to recover from freezing, we also exposed larvae to brief freeze events between −4.5 °C and −9.5 °C and found that the median lower lethal temperature, was −7.3±0.4 °C across all instars; indicating that S. ocellana spring instars are susceptible to freezing temperatures above their supercooling point. These low-temperature thresholds suggest that in the spring, S. ocellana larvae are chill susceptible, and a hard frost (<−7 °C) would be necessary to cause significant larval mortality.

Many aphid species (Hemiptera: Aphididae) that feed on herbaceous crops exhibit a rise and then sudden decline in abundance. Data from a nine-year study of Uroleucon rudbeckiae (Fitch) on Rudbeckia laciniata Linnaeus (Asteraceae) are used to investigate this pattern of seasonal abundance in a non-agricultural aphid. Aphids on a population of tagged and numbered flower stems were counted weekly. Abundance (mean aphids per stem) was partitioned into prevalence (proportion of stems colonised) and mean intensity (aphids per colonised stem), and also considered as the sum of the aphids in individual colonies. Abundance rose in mid-summer to late summer and then declined, peaking between the end of July and mid-September, earlier in years when the peak was higher. Prevalence showed a more uniform and consistent peak than mean intensity. Most of the 949 colonies were small and short-lived, but a small proportion were long-lived and reached 1000 aphids. Large colonies declined more slowly than moderately-sized colonies. Severe weather, shortening day-length, decline in host quality, density-dependent effects on rate of increase, and emigration failed to explain the population decline. An early rise and later decline in immigration, in conjunction with increasing predation through the summer, were consistent with the decline.

The grasshopper, Camnula pellucida Scudder (Orthoptera: Acridae), is a severe pest of small grains and rangeland forage in North America. In a field experiment using cages containing C. pellucida in northwestern Montana, United States of America, we manipulated exposure to the fungal entomopathogen, Entomophaga grylli Fresenius (Entomophthorales: Entomophthoraceae) pathotype 1, temperature using small greenhouses, and moisture for the pathogen with water pillows. Treatment effects on fungal infection (mycosis) rates and grasshopper survivorship were assessed. Water pillows provided additional moist habitat for E. grylli without having an impact on grasshopper performance or the plant biomass and nitrogen content. Number of fungal spores, pathogen-induced mortality rates, and treatment effects on grass biomass and nitrogen content were also measured. Water pillows benefited the pathogen by increasing fungal spore levels by eightfold, which in turn shortened pathogen-exposed grasshopper survival time by half. In contrast, warming reduced fungal spore levels by 50% and subsequently reduced mortality from E. grylli by 67%. However, warmed pathogen-exposed grasshoppers did not exhibit enhanced survival, which may be due, in part, to intraspecific competition among the surviving grasshoppers.

The moth Symmetrischema lavernella (Chambers) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) has two feeding strategies on its host plant Physalis Linnaeus (Solanaceae): a fruitworm that feeds on developing ovules in a fruit and a budworm that consumes a floral bud. The fruitworm strategy occurs when a neonate caterpillar enters the ovary of a flower bud above a size threshold (~4 mm in Physalis heterophylla Nees), consumes the developing ovules, and pupates in the fruit. In P. heterophylla, occupancy of the ovary by S. lavernella causes fruit development to occur in the absence of pollination, indicating that the caterpillar initiates developmental pathways associated with pollination. The budworm strategy occurs in buds below ~4 mm, involves consumption of the ovary and immature anthers, and results in pupation inside the uninflated calyx. The two strategies co-occur on plants, determined by the sizes of the available buds at the time of oviposition. The most prominent natural enemy of S. lavernella using the fruitworm strategy was the frugivorous caterpillar Heliothis subflexa (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), also a specialist of Physalis. The larger Heliothis subflexa feeds on the fruit externally, consumes S. lavernella, and caused 31.3% of fruitworm mortality in field surveys. Parasitoids included wasps (Hymenoptera) of the families Braconidae, Ichneumonidae, and Chalcididae.

The bamboo mosquito, Tripteroides bambusa (Yamada) (Diptera: Culicidae), is a mosquito species ubiquitous across forested landscapes in Japan. During 2014 we sampled adult mosquitoes from May to November using a sweep net in Nagasaki, Japan. We recorded and managed our field data using Open Data Kit, which eased the overall process of data management before performing their statistical analysis. Here, we analyse the resulting biweekly time series of the bamboo mosquito abundance using time-series statistical techniques. Specifically, we test for density dependence in the population dynamics fitting the Ricker model. Parameter estimates for the Ricker model suggest that the bamboo mosquito is under density dependence regulation and that its population dynamics is stable. Our data also suggest the bamboo mosquito increased its abundance when temperature was more variable at our study site. Further work is warranted to better understand the linkage between the observed density dependence in the adults and the larvae of this mosquito species.

The life history of the funnel weaver Eratigena agrestis (Walckenaer) (Araneae: Agelenidae) is not well studied despite its widespread occurrence in Europe and its establishment and spread in the Pacific Northwest of North America since its introduction in the early 20th century. We report phenology and life-history data for E. agrestis and another co-occurring funnel weaver, Eratigena atrica (Koch), in two study sites in British Columbia, Canada. The most notable difference in phenology between the two Eratigena species was the timing of emergence: E. atrica spiderlings emerge in the fall whereas E. agrestis spiderlings emerge in the spring. Surprisingly, the contrasting densities of E. atrica in the two study sites and the presence of the western black widow spider, Latrodectus hesperus Chamberlin and Ivie (Araneae: Theridiidae), in one study site had little effect on the life history of E. agrestis. This unexpected finding may be explained by (i) low overall competition pressure in the study habitats, (ii) conspecifics and heterospecifics exerting equivalent competition or predation pressures; and/or (iii) aggregations of heterospecifics providing benefits that offset costs associated with any competition.

Arctic ecosystems are characterised by a mosaic of distinct microhabitats, which play a key role in structuring biodiversity. Understanding species diversity in relation to these microhabitats, and how communities are structured seasonally, is imperative to properly conserve, monitor, and manage northern biodiversity. Spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) are dominant arthropod predators in the Arctic, yet the seasonal change in their communities in relation to microhabitat variation is relatively unknown. This research quantified how spider assemblages are structured seasonally and by microhabitat, near Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada. In 2014, spiders were collected in 240 pan and pitfall traps placed in common microhabitat types (two wet and two dry) from 3 July to 11 August, the active season in the high Arctic. In total, 10 353 spiders from 22 species and four families were collected. Non-metric multidimensional scaling ordinations revealed that spider assemblages from wet habitats were distinct from those occurring in drier habitats, but that differences within each of those habitats were not evident. Abundance and diversity was highest in wet habitats and differed significantly from dry habitats; both these variables decreased seasonally. Spider assemblages in the north are structured strongly along moisture gradients, and such data informs planning for future ecological monitoring in the Arctic.

The rewarding orchid, Cremastra appendiculata (Orchidaceae), has a strong floral scent and is pollinated by long-tongued bumble bee queens (Bombus diversus tersatus Smith; Hymenoptera: Apidae). The response of queens of B. diversus tersatus to the scent of C. appendiculata was investigated using a gas chromatography–electroantennographic detector system and Y-tube olfactometer. Gas chromatography–electroantennographic detector analysis of flower extracts showed that seven compounds (nerol, methyl decanoate, methyl dodecanoate, methyl tetradecanoate, methyl hexadecanoate, ethyl dodecanoate, and ethyl tetradecanoate) elicited antennal responses from B. diversus tersatus queens. Further, Y-tube olfactometer test results showed that queens significantly preferred both the flower extracts and synthetic mixture of seven EAD active compounds compared with pentane (a solvent control). These results suggest that floral scents play an important role in attracting queens and promote successful pollination.

We document a novel exotic bee for North America, Hylaeus (Hylaeus) communis Nylander, 1852 (Hymenoptera: Colletidae), and determine whether it is likely to spread widely across the continent. To evaluate the extent to which H. communis behaves as a generalist and would be able to adapt to novel North American environments, we compare the breadth of its climatic, floral, habitat, and nesting preferences between its native European range and sites where it was first discovered in southern Québec, Canada. Specifically, we calculate the paired difference index, which approximates species generalism, from a set of bipartite networks linking Hylaeus Fabricius, 1793 species to their respective floral hosts and habitats. Results indicate that H. communis is the most adaptable bee of the European Hylaeus fauna and will likely acclimate to its new environment, being a greater generalist than an already widely established exotic bee, H. hyalinatus Smith, 1842. In southern Québec, we find that, despite visiting a wide variety of flowering species, it exhibits a strong association with non-native plants and resides almost exclusively in urban settings. We hypothesise that H. communis will be able to spread widely throughout North America via multiple human-mediated but accidental dispersal events and by following the distribution of European weeds and horticultural plants.

Flight capacity of codling moths, Cydia pomonella (Linnaeus) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), was measured with computer-linked flight mills following exposure to one of two temperature regimes. Codling moth adults were held for 24 hours before flight under either chilled (2 °C) or unchilled (24 °C) conditions. The chilling treatment emulated conditions that codling moths are exposed to pre-release in the Okanagan Sterile Insect Release (SIR) Programme. Moths were assayed on flight mills for eight hours to obtain a measure of flight capacity based on total flight distance. Energy use was assessed by weight loss during flight and post-flight body lipid content compared with similarly treated moths that did not fly. Flight distance did not vary with pre-flight temperature treatment, however moth pre-flight weight influenced flight capacity; heavier moths flew further. Moths chilled before the bioassay used less energy based on reduced weight loss and higher lipid content post bioassay as compared with unchilled moths. The current cold storage procedure used in the SIR Programme does not negatively influence subsequent flight capacity and reduces energy use during flight. Codling moths can fly on average between 7–10km in an eight-hour flight mill bioassay and lipids, at least in part, are used to fuel flight.

The status of insecticide resistance in field populations of eggplant fruit and shoot borer, Leucinodes orbonalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) from the major vegetable growing regions of India was determined during the cropping seasons of 2009–2010 and 2010–2011. Six commonly used insecticides: carbaryl, chlorpyriphos, deltamethrin, endosulfan, fenvalerate, and profenofos were tested against L. orbonalis larvae. The resistance ratios (RR) at the lethal dosage (LD)50 levels were estimated as RR=LD50 field strain/LD50 susceptible strain. The L. orbonalis populations exhibited widespread resistance to tested insecticides. The highest average RR in the two-year study was observed in the assays of populations with deltamethrin (21.50–82.42-fold) followed by assays conducted with endosulfan (24.47–68.26-fold), chlorpyriphos (22.17–63.14-fold), carbaryl (39.18–49.09-fold), and fenvalerate (14.00–44.66-fold); and the lowest average RRs were observed in the assays with profenofos (16.65–39.43-fold). The high levels of LD50 values can be attributed to the long-term indiscriminate use of these insecticides in eggplant (Solanum melongena Linnaeus; Solanaceae) growing regions.

Methods for detection and monitoring invasive insect species are continually being refined and developed. Detecting invasive pests early can improve chances of eradication or management of populations. Aerial malaise traps are successfully used in monitoring for insects such as longhorned beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) and bark and ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae). These traps have both a top and bottom collecting cup. The bottom portion of these traps leading to the collection cup collects canopy litter at a high rate, greatly increasing time required to sort through and possibly affecting the diversity and abundance of insects captured. Traps with top and bottom collecting cups were compared with traps with only top collecting cups to determine the effect on species richness and abundance of cerambycids and scolytines. There was no significant difference in species richness and abundance of cerambycids, and abundance of scolytines, however species richness of scolytines was significantly higher in top/bottom traps. We conclude that removing the bottoms from aerial malaise traps would benefit monitoring programmes that use this type of trap in combination with funnel traps, albeit with the potential loss of information on scolytine richness.