Prepupae of three species of Diplolepis (D. nebulosa (Bassett) a leaf-gall-former, an undescribed stem-gall-former, and D. radicum (Osten Sacken), a root-gall-former) were overwintered at various heights above the ground. Most prepupae of all three species buried beneath the snow survived the winter, while only stem-gall-formers survived at a height subject to fluctuating snow depths. All specimens of the three species that overwintered above the snow were killed.

The distribution of Douglas-fir tussock moth, Orgyia pseudotsugata (McD.), cocoons was studied within and between the crowns of white fir, Abies concolor ((Gord. and Glend.) Lindl.), at six locations in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. The within tree, between tree, and between plot distribution of cocoons in the crown, categorized by sex, mortality (including parasitization), and stage (larva or pupa) were analyzed. Only cocoons containing female pupae varied in their distribution within the tree and they were concentrated in the bottom third of the live crown but their densities at any one level bore little relation to those in the other levels within the crown. Cocoon density varied significantly between plots and between trees within plots. Total parasitism did not vary significantly between plots. The variable within tree distribution of cocoons containing female pupae and their increased percentage parasitism relative to those containing male pupae, suggested that the live crown should be stratified. A sample unit consisting of two branches selected from the midpoint of each of the three crown levels (total: 6 branches) sampled approximately 5% of the live crown of white fir. The relation between the number of sample trees and mean cocoon density at three levels of precision is provided.

Seasonal morphometric analysis of 788 adult Polistes metricus Say showed that: (1) Queens sampled throughout the colony cycle were of similar body size but significantly smaller than fall gynes. (2) Queens’ ovaries are large in the spring, decline early in the colony cycle, peak near the mid-postemergence period and decline late in the colony cycle. (3) There are no significant correlations between head width, ovary width, and size of nest in workers or queens. (4) Early and late workers are small but workers emerging during the mid-postemergence period are large. (5) All workers and gynes emerge with small, similar sized ovaries but older workers may develop larger ovaries. (6) Queens are larger than early and late workers but the same size as workers emerging during the mid-postemergence period. (7) The class with the largest adults were intermediates collected when colonies began production of males. These adults, intermediate in fat content between workers and gynes, comprised a large proportion of females emerging late in the colony cycle. (8) The body size of gynes is independent of colony size. (9) Males were significantly more variable in body size than gynes.

The genus Deda (Tenthredinidae: Tenthredininae) is newly described for D. ferula n. sp., Macrophya annulipes Cresson, and Sciapteryx coquilletti Rohwer. A key to species is given and the genus is compared with similar genera of Tenthredininae.

The effects of aerially sprayed fenitrothion (210 g/ha) and aminocarb (70 g/ha) on several hymenopteran taxa in New Brunswick are reported. Exposure cage experiments showed fenitrothion to cause as high mortality among solitary bees and vespid wasps as that previously reported for bumble bees. Exposure cage experiments under aminocarb sprays revealed no detectably increased mortality for bumble bees, but a significant effect on solitary bees. Experiments in which whole bumble bee colonies were set out in fenitrothion and aminocarb spray blocks a few days before spraying gave comparable results to those from the exposure cage experiments.

A series of comparisons of bumble bee densities in sprayed and unsprayed areas confirmed our earlier finding that populations are greatly reduced after fenitrothion application. Population recovery during the rest of the season appears to be influenced by meteorological conditions. The ecological replacement of early-emerging by late-emerging Bombus species in fenitrothion spray blocks is further documented. No relationship between bee densities and aminocarb application was found.

A method for retrospective assessment of pollinator activity by measuring nectar levels in Clintonia borealis was successfully carried out on a small-scale basis.

The effect on stream invertebrates of carbaryl (Sevin-4-oil®) applied at a rate of 840 g A.I./ha for spruce budworm suppression in Maine was studied. Three streams in each of three different treatment areas were monitored: streams in areas sprayed with carbaryl for the first time, streams in areas sprayed 2 consecutive years, and streams in unsprayed areas.

Initial postspray response was an increase in drift up to 170× in treated streams. Benthos samples showed significant declines among Plecoptera, Ephemeroptera, and Trichoptera on subsequent sampling dates. Plecoptera did not repopulate any treated stream by 60 days after treatment. Streams treated for the second consecutive year had very low prespray Plecoptera populations compared with those unexposed to carbaryl. Diptera, with the exception of Microtendipes, and Oligochaeta were unaffected.

Twenty-six species of grasshoppers were collected from 50 sweep-net samples taken annually in mid-August over the period 1928–1944 on mixed prairie at Manyberries, Alta. Three species, Melanoplus infantilis Scudder, Melanoplus sanguinipes (Fabr.), and Melanoplus packardii Scudder, comprised 79% of the 3041 specimens collected. Published data on the phenologies of the species, their feeding preferences, the forage value of their diets, their habitat preferences, and cases of damage to rangeland were used to assess the potential for economic damage of 17 of the more abundant species. Only two of these species, Melanoplus femur-rubrum femur-rubrum (De Geer) and Melanoplus dawsoni (Scudder), could be regarded as innocuous. The others have the potential to cause economic damage should they become numerous. An additional species, Aerochoreutes carlinianus carlinianus (Thomas), was added to the potentially harmful list because of its reported feeding preferences.

Three new species of Miridae described are: Coquillettia albertae from Alberta, Megalopsallus femoralis from Alberta and Saskatchewan, and Deraeocoris rubripes from Manitoba. Tytthus pygmaeus (Zett.) is now known to be Holarctic in distribution. Adults are illustrated.

Four new species are described: Mimesa foxi, M. huron, M. iroquois, and M. mallochi. Diagnostic characters are listed for each species and each species is compared with other closely related species in the genus.

Adult and nymphal populations of the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), on “Contender” green beans, Phaseolus vulgaris L., were sampled during the summers of 1971–1972. Sweep net and D-Vac® suction apparatus samples were taken concurrently, and both estimates were compared by regression analysis.

The tarnished plant bug reached levels above the economic injury levels for both early and late crops in 1971–1972. The economic threshold was determined as 0.5 insect/10 plants below the economic injury level.

Caged microplots of “Contender” green beans, Phaseolus vulgaris L., were artificially infested with various densities of Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) to determine the effect of feeding on yield and quality, and to establish economic injury levels. Plants infested at bloom or pod set stage were more severely injured than those infested at the flower bud stage. Higher infestation levels reduced crop yield, but the percentage of crude protein in bean seeds was not affected. Based on 1975 crop values and chemical control costs, economic injury levels ranged between 0.3 and 4.4 insects/10 plants depending on crop use, chemical control, and plant stage infested.

Phyllonorycter elmaella n sp. is described from specimens reared from ptychonomous mines on the lower surface of apple leaves from the vicinity of Vancouver, B.C. The species is compared with European P. sorbi (Frey) and the Japanese P. sorbicola (Kumata) n. comb., to which it is more closely similar than to species attacking apple and related trees in Eastern North America. The species has three generations a year and overwinters in the pupal stage.

Larvae of Phyllonorycter elmaella Doğ. and Mut. were found commonly on unsprayed apple in 1976 and 1977 at Burnaby and Haney, in the Vancouver, B.C. district. Presumably this is the same species recorded by Pottinger and LeRoux (1971: 25–37, 214), Lithocolletis sorbi Frey, on apple in Oregon.

Twelve species of hymenopterous parasites were reared. Total parasitism in 1977 was 18, 17, and 10% in collections from Burnaby in July, August, and September, respectively, and 27% in a collection from Haney.

Two artificial diets — one liquid, the other candied — developed for adult Itoplectis conquisitor, an ichneumonid parasitoid, proved equal in performance for fecundity to a natural food regimen involving blood of host pupa, Galleria mellonella. Feeding on the liquid diet resulted in a parasitoid emergence rate from host pupae of 42.9 ± 8.6%; on the candy diet, 52.2 ± 15.8%; and on the natural regimen, 54.4 ± 4.0%. Therefore, host material was not needed to feed the adults. Other advantages of these artificial diets include convenience, economy, efficacy, and manageability for proper insect husbandry.

Two bumble bee observation hive designs are described. Both have a sloping floor to support peripheral brood clumps. One is temperature controlled, using insulated resistance wire as an internal heat source. The other is moulded from a concrete mixture consisting of horticultural Perlite, cement, and plaster of Paris. Techniques for the sanitation, feeding, and handling of laboratory colonies are described.

Treatment of the surface layer of wheat in 2-m3 bins with a commercial formulation of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner controlled Indian meal moths, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner), and almond moths, Ephestia cautella (Walker), for two grain storage seasons. Doses of 100, 125, and 150 mg of formulation/kg of wheat in the 10-cm-deep surface layer reduced moth populations by ≥81%, reduced insect feeding damage by > 92%, and reduced or prevented webbing of the grain surface.

The disruption of insect mating with sex pheromones by the air permeation technique is a complex problem influenced by a number of variables. Not least among these is the actual atmospheric concentration of pheromone during the course of the experiment. While closely related to the measured release rate from a formulation, the atmospheric concentration should be regarded separately since a number of other factors may intervene, e.g., chemical instability, foliage adsorption, and the differential effects of formulation weathering in the laboratory and the field.

The present study was conducted in conjunction with small scale field trials involving an aerially applied hollow fiber formulation of the sex pheromone of the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferanu (Clem.), I1 -tetradecenal (97:3::E:Z). (Hereafter referred to as pheromone.)

During studies on different aspects of cricket (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) biology in Hawaii, we observed many toads, Bufo marinus (L.), in areas inhabited by the field crickets Teleogryllus oceanicus (Le Guillou) and Modicogryllus conspersus Walker. The research reported here was intended to determine if B. marinus is a predator of these crickets and, if so, the relative amount of predation on each. We also tested the possibility that B. marinus locates crickets by orienting to cricket acoustical signals.