The black army cutwarm, Actebia fennica (Tausch.), is the most important pest of foliage of the low-bush blueberry in New Brunswick. Although usually of minor importance, it periodically appears in outbreak proportions and destroys the entire crop in heavily infested helds. Such an outbreak occurred in Charlotte County in 1944 and 1945, when the present study was initiated.

The data presented in this paper are based on insectary-reared material, supplemented where possible by field observations. Larvae were reared individually in jelly jars or waxed cardboard cups and fed daily on fresh blueberry foliage. Observations on oviposition were made possible by mating reared moths.

Certain kinds of micro-organisms occurring in close internal association with insects, and often harboured in apparently specialized organs, are, at least in some species, of benefit to the insects in supplying them with needed dietary constituents, e.g., vitamins of the B complex (3).

During the past twenty years conflicting statements have been made about the presence of mycetomal micro-organisms in Sitophilus granarius (6, 11). Recently some general clarification has been achieved (9). It seems that while this species commonly harbours such micro-organisms, there exists an Egyptian strain apparently free of them. Furthermore, a variety africana, distinguishable by its smaller size and lighter colour, has been described from the Nile Valley (1, 5).

This paper presents descriptions of four new species of the genus Psylla, brief notes on their biology and records the encyrtid Prionomitus mitratus (Dalm.) as a parasite of Psylla ribesiae (Crawford). Of particular interest is the fact that two of the four new species occur on Ribes spp. and previously were not distinguished from the common species, ribesiae, which has been known in western United States since 1911.

In November, 1955 two women in a room in a private hospital in London, Ontario, were found to be affected by an irritating dermatitis distributed generally over the body. The causative agent was an infestation of mites which were found in the bedding, over the walls of the room and on furniture. Collections of the mites were made in the room on November 18, 19 and 20. They were also found clustered about a bruise on an apple in a bowl of fruit in the room. The mites were sent to Dr. E. W. Baker, United States National Museum, who kindly identified them as the fowl mite, Dermanyssus gallinae (Deg.). Some specimens were retained for the collection of the U.S. National Museum and others have been mounted on slides No. E23.95-98 in the collection of the Department of Zoology, University of Western Ontario.

The egg-laying habits of the pest species of grasshoppers in Western Canada have been known, in their essential characteristics, since the work of Criddle (1920). Methods used in routine surveys in the Prairie Provinces have been based on this knowledge since 1932, when surveys as they are now known were first made. For example, the habit of the principal pest species, Melanoplus mexicanus mexicanus (Sauss.), of distributing its egg-pods widely in fields of ripening or harvested small grains, and not in native grasslands or highly restricted, selected sites, was known. Likewise, the habit of another important grasshopper, Camnula pellucida (Scudd.), of concentrating its eggs in areas of native sod adjoining cultivated fields was recognized.

During August of 1955 a farmer, 35 years old, in Metcalfe Township, Middlesex County, Ontario repeatedly passed living maggots in feces during bowel movements. Four of these maggots were received by the writer on August 30, 1955 and were placed in an inch of damp soil in a screen-covered jar. On September 13 two sarcophagid flies, one male and one female, emerged from the soil and on September 14 two more males emerged. They were examined by Mr. G. E. Shewell, Systematic Entomology, Department of Agriculture, Ottawa, who identified them as Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis (Fln.). The four specimens are deposited in the collection of the Department of Zoology, University of Western Ontario.

The superb plant bug, Adelphocoris superbus (Uhl.), is a serious pest in some alfalfa seed fields in southern Alberta. It feeds on the unopened bud clusters, causing them to whiten and die (bud-blasting). Under cages, it has also caused flower-drop, stunting of plants, and destruction of immature seed (Sorenson, 1954). When numerous it may prevent fields from producing enough bloom for the alfalfa pollinators in the vicinity, and in such numbers is of economic importance to the seed-growers. The number of bugs necessary for an economic population thus varies inversely with the pollinator population on the field.

Dyar in 1907 described the genus Geshna with the type Hydrocampa cannalis Quaintance. In the same publication he described the new species Geshna primordialis. Forbes (1923) noted that primordialis was only doubtfully referable to Geshna; but he did not remove it from the genus. In this paper I describe a new genus for primordialis, two new subspecies of that species, and a new genus for the related Isopteryx stenialis Guenée.

It has been established that a complex of predacious arthropods on apple trees in Nova Scotia can control phytophagous mite populations (Lord, 1949). Some of the predators, when sufficiently numerous, may also be important in the control of other pests such as the eye-spotted bud-moth, Spilonota ocellana (D. & S.), and the codling moth, Carpocapsa pomonella (L.). When predation has reduced the mite population to small numbers, the insect predators almost disappear from the orchard. In most orchards in this province, the use of spray materials innocuous to predators has greatly reduced the phytophagous mite populations. The low mite population is an important gain but it is not known whether the attendant small numbers of predators is advantageous in the natural control of pests in general. This will be answered in time by the experience of the growers and, meanwhile, further research is needed on the interrelations of the phytophagous and predacious species and on how they are affected by orchard practices and other factors. This involves studies on the food preferences and behaviour of many species. In addition, means must be found to modify cultural practices to make conditions as favourable as possible for certain species of predators.

The paralysis of silkworm larvae (Bombyx mori L.) caused by Bacillus sotto Ishiwata and the extraction of a toxic protein from cultures of this microorganism have been reported elsewhere (1, 2, 3). In preliminary studies of the mode of action, changes have been noted in the pH of the blood of affected larvae.

Fourth- and fifth-instar larvae were fed foliage coated with B. sotto toxin and at intervals the blood pH was determined as described by Heimpel (4). Control larvae, reared from the same egg mass, were fed untreated foliage.

Collections made during a family vacation trip to Nova Scotia in the latter part of July, 1955, include records of Dolichopodidae which seem worth reporting. The following localities yielded specimens: Parrsboro, July 23, 1955, along river near town; Smiths Cove, near Digby, July 24, 1955, on tidal flats and among vegetation along shore of Annapolis Basin; Antigonish, July 25, 1955, along small creek crossing Route 4 a few miles east of town; South Gut St. Anns (Cape Breton Island), July 27, 1955, in spring seepage area on hillside, with grasses, sedges, alder, sphagnum, orchids, iris, etc. The specimens will be deposited in the Canadian National Collection.