Larvae of Abagrotis orbis (Grote) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) are climbing cutworms and can damage grapevines, Vitis vinifera L. (Vitaceae), in early spring by consuming expanding buds. A sex attractant would be useful for monitoring this insect in commercial vineyards. (Z)-7-Tetradecenyl acetate and (Z)-11-hexadecenyl acetate were found in extracts of female abdominal tips. In multiple field experiments, male A. orbis were captured in traps baited with a combination of these two chemicals but not in traps baited with either chemical alone. Males were trapped from mid-September to early October in south-central Washington and south-central British Columbia. Other noctuid moths (Mamestra configurata Walker, Xestia c-nigrum (L.), and Feltia jaculifera (Guenée)) were also captured in traps baited with the A. orbis pheromone and may complicate the use of this lure to monitor A. orbis. Abagrotis discoidalis (Grote) was captured in traps baited with (Z)-7-tetradecenyl acetate but not in traps baited with the two chemicals together.

Pheromone lures for eastern and western blackheaded budworms, Acleris variana (Fernald) and A. gloverana (Walsingham), were synthesized and deployed in traps at locations with decreasing and increasing populations of western blackheaded budworms in British Columbia, Canada. Traps baited with these lures caught comparable numbers of moths at all sites tested in each year. The lures were sensitive to changes in density of budworm populations below observable damage levels, and numbers of moths in traps were strongly correlated with independent estimates of egg densities in the same year. The results confirm the qualitative similarity of the sex pheromones in eastern and western species of blackheaded budworm and demonstrate their utility as a tool for monitoring population trends, including increases in populations to damaging levels.

Stability (temporal variability, persistence, resilience) was assessed over 8–13 years for subpopulations, populations, and regional populations of Uroleucon rudbeckiae (Fitch) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in southern Manitoba, Canada. Contrary to expectations, natural populations of this native aphid were not more stable than those of aphids inhabiting crops. Among population parameters, prevalence (proportion of plants infested) proved more effective for quantifying temporal variability than intensity (colony size) or abundance (number of aphids per stem). The parameter “population variability” was a more effective index of temporal variability than the standard deviation of the logarithm or the coefficient of variation. Small differences in temporal variability were detected among populations that varied greatly in size. Population variability declined slightly as spatial scale increased and did not increase consistently over time. Population variability can be considered characteristic of this species in southern Manitoba, having a value of 0.648 ± 0.080 (mean ± standard deviation, n = 5, over 8–13 years) on a scale of 0–1, a high degree of temporal variability. Persistence was not related to temporal variability. Subpopulations were less persistent than populations, and one of five populations did not persist. Small populations were more likely to disappear temporarily. No resilience was detected.

A pilot-scale industrial microwave unit operating at 2450 MHz was used to test whether microwave treatment can control Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) populations infesting stored rye, Secale cereale L. (Poaceae). Tests were performed in samples of rye (50 g) with 14%, 16%, or 18% moisture content. Samples containing T. castaneum eggs, larvae, pupae, or adults were exposed to 200, 300, 400, or 500 W for periods of 28 or 56 s, resulting in final surface temperatures ranging from 47.2 to 83.9 °C. Eggs were most vulnerable; adults were least vulnerable. Subsequent tests showed that microwaves reduced rye germination and flour yield. No effect of treatment on grain protein content, falling number, sodium dodecyl sulfate sedimentation volume, mixograph and farinograph dough development times, or baking properties was detected.

We collected midcrown branches of balsam fir, Abies balsamea (L.) Mill. (Pinaceae), at six different sites located in five different plant-hardiness zones, along a north–south transect in New Brunswick, Canada, to evaluate the effect of plant-hardiness zone, crown class (overstory versus understory), and shoot length during the previous 10 years on the annual incidence of gouting by the balsam woolly adelgid, Adelges piceae (Ratzeburg) (Homoptera: Adelgidae). Site, crown class, and their interaction, along with the square of shoot length, explained 78% of the variation in gouting. Variations in gouting attributed to plant-hardiness zone were probably primarily due to variation in mean January temperature: at each site, the mean January temperature was positively and closely related to the mean level of gouting. The level of gouting was consistently higher on trees in the understory than on those in the overstory. Shoot length was parabolically related to the proportion of shoots with gout. The parabolic relationship between shoot size and the level of gouting is similar to that previously reported for galling adelgids, and suggests that gouting by A. piceae may be greatest on trees with an intermediate growth rate.

Ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) were sampled in conventional and genetically modified herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) corn, Zea mays L. (Poaceae), planted under rotation with canola, Brassica L. (Brassicaceae), or continuously cropped corn to investigate the influence of corn variety and rotation on the structure of carabid assemblages. Corn variety, cultivation regime, and their interaction all influenced overall carabid activity density. Weed management associated with corn variety influenced the activity density of a few carabid species and this was attributed to changes in vegetation. Some smaller bodied carabids such as Bembidion quadrimaculatum L. were less abundant in GMHT plots, probably because weed density was higher in midseason, but the opposite was observed for larger bodied carabids such as Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger). Overall, rotating corn with canola had a stronger effect on carabid community structure than did corn variety. We suggest that GMHT corn has little impact on the overall carabid fauna but may influence the activity of certain species through effects on the weed community.

To characterize time of spring emergence following post-diapause development, Delia radicum (L.) (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) from Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and southwestern Ontario were collected in fall, maintained over winter at 1 °C, then transferred to higher constant temperatures until adult emergence. At each location there were “early” and “late” phenotypes. Truncated normal models of temperature dependency of development rate were fitted for each phenotype from each location. We provide the first evidence of geographic variation in the criteria separating these phenotypes. Separation criteria and models for early and late phenotypes at the two prairie locations, approximately 700 km apart, were indistinguishable, but differed from those for Ontario. Prairie phenotypes developed more slowly than Ontario phenotypes, and more prairie individuals were of the late phenotype. Poor synchronization of spring emergence could impair predation of D. radicum eggs by adult Aleochara bilineata Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae). Aleochara bilineata from Manitoba were reared and development rates modelled as for D. radicum. Models of development rates for the two species, when combined with simulated soil temperatures for two prairie locations, suggest that emergence of adult A. bilineata is well synchronized with availability of D. radicum eggs in prairie canola.

Wheat, Triticum L. (Poaceae), varieties with deterrence to oviposition by the wheat midge, Sitodiplosis mosellana (Géhin) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), can be useful in reducing seed damage. The behaviour of ovipositing females on spring wheat, T. aestivum L., with and without oviposition deterrence was investigated to account for observed differences in oviposition on deterrent and nondeterrent hosts. On deterrent wheat, 34% of females landing oviposited compared with 100% of females landing on nondeterrent wheat. The sequence of female behaviours just prior to egg-laying on deterrent spikes was similar to that on nondeterrent spikes. The length of time required to lay an egg and mean egg-batch size were similar on deterrent and nondeterrent wheat, but females spent nearly twice as long on the latter. After landing on deterrent wheat, females took longer to begin ovipositing and longer to leave after the last oviposition event than did females on nondeterrent wheat, which further reduced the time available for oviposition on deterrent compared with nondeterrent wheat. As a result of these behavioural differences, deterrence reduced oviposition by more than 60%.

Dendroctonus armandi Tsai and Li is an important native pest of Chinese white pine (Pinus armandii Franch. (Pinaceae)) in the Qinling Mountains of Shaanxi Province, People's Republic of China. Populations can reach epidemic levels and cause widespread mortality of trees in forest ecosystems. We studied the flight behaviour of D. armandi collected under controlled conditions using a flight-mill system to gather information to aid in its management. Our results indicate that D. armandi has three distinct flight patterns (intermittent flight, short-burst flight, and sustained uninterrupted flight). There were no significant differences in flight performance between males and females. Median daily values for total distance traveled, total flight time, and maximum uninterrupted flight time were 275.1 m day−1, 815 s day−1, and 40 s day−1, respectively (n = 148). Individuals displayed positive phototactic behaviour: total flight distance and total flight time were greater under artificial illumination than in natural light or darkness. The level of flight activity increased throughout the morning, remained high during the afternoon (1400–1600), dropped considerably at 1800, and was lowest at midnight. There was no significant difference in flight distance or flight time between the first and second generations. From the data collected, it is clear that the phototactic response is an important factor in the flight behaviour of D. armandi and may influence its spatial dispersal.

Subsociality involving provisioning for offspring has been reported for one shield bug and three burrower bug species (Hemiptera: Pentatomoidea: Parastrachiidae and Cydnidae: Sehirinae). We present the first report of subsocial behaviour in the burrower bug Adomerus variegatus (Signoret), focusing on manifestations of maternal care, specifically the production of trophic eggs, guarding of offspring, and progressive provisioning. In our study, each female produced an egg mass that included some trophic eggs. Prior to nymphal hatch, females remained in their nests and showed egg mass guarding behaviour. Mothers started provisioning behaviour a few hours after nymphal hatch. Each mother dragged a seed (larger than her body) with her proboscis to the nest as food for the nymphs. These findings suggest that A. variegatus shows maternal-care behaviours similar to those reported in some other pentatomoid species and that trophic egg production and nest provisioning have evolved as interrelated processes.

We monitored 12 colonies of the nomadic social caterpillar Malacosoma disstria Hübner (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) on trembling aspen, Populus tremuloides Michx. (Salicaceae), under field conditions in spring 2007. We examined cohesion and synchronization of colonies and spatiotemporal activity patterns to compare foraging in the field with the results of laboratory studies and with foraging by central-place foragers. All colonies were highly cohesive; fragmentation was observed only three times. Activity was highly synchronous within colonies, with clear alternation between periods of activity and quiescence. Colonies performed 4.25 ± 0.12 (mean ± SE) activity bouts per day, and foraging was more likely to occur in the early morning than at midday. Colony activity was weakly correlated with temperature. In contrast to that of M. americanum (F.), the foraging schedule was flexible: foraging was observed at all recorded times and temperatures. Colonies searched for a new feeding site every 2.54 ± 0.37 days (mean ± SE) after a food source was depleted. Time spent at a food source decreased with colony size, and distance travelled between food sources increased with instar. Malacosoma disstria caterpillars on trembling aspen are not very selective; rather, they minimize movement, thus decreasing potential contacts with predators.

Canadian peatlands are subject to disturbance and destruction, and drainage for agriculture is responsible for 85% of this degradation. Few studies have explicitly addressed the effects of habitat degradation on arthropod diversity in Nearctic peatlands. Because higher Diptera (Brachycera) in peatlands are diverse, are an important component of food webs, and exhibit a wide range of ecological requirements, we examined species richness, abundance, and community composition of Brachycera across transects at 1, 6, and 11 m from a collector drainage ditch in Johnville Bog and Forest Park, Quebec. In total, 1453 Brachycera were collected, representing 24 families and 166 species. Species diversity (based on Simpson’s diversity index) and rarefaction-estimated species richness were higher at 6 and 11 m than at 1 m from the ditch, probably because of the homogeneous moss cover and moister conditions at greater distance from the ditch. Species composition also differed between 1 m and other distances, based on cluster analysis, multiresponse permutation procedures analysis, and the presence of five predaceous species that were significant indicator species 1 m from the drainage ditch. Our results suggest that anthropogenic degradation of hydrological conditions may be responsible for the low species richness and high dominance of a few species currently seen at the ditch margin.

Laboratory observations revealed that late-instar larvae of the eastern spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens)) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) spend most of their time spinning, wandering, and resting; less than 10% is spent feeding. Larvae feed in a discontinuous pattern of short feeding bouts separated by much longer intervals of nonfeeding activity. Over a 2 h observation period, feeding bouts averaged 2.2 min and were separated by 17.4 min intervals for 4th-instar larvae as compared to 3.3 min bouts separated by 33.4 min intervals for 5th-instar larvae. The duration of a feeding bout was positively correlated with the duration of the subsequent interval, not with the duration of preceding intervals, suggesting that feeding-bout frequency is governed primarily by post-ingestion processes. It is postulated that short feeding bouts followed by long intervals limit the window for ingesting an efficacious dose of aerially applied insecticides such as Bacillus thuringiensis.

We studied Culex pipiens L. in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada, to establish whether or not these mosquitoes are attracted to hosts other than birds at different elevations or as the season progresses. Guinea-pigs and chickens were used as representative mammalian and avian hosts, respectively. Bait animals were placed next to modified CDC miniature light traps (no light and no CO2) hung 1.5 or 5 m above ground in a Niagara woodlot. The season was divided into three 6-week periods (early, middle, and late). Significantly more C. pipiens were captured at the 5 m than at the 1.5 m elevation. In general, chicken-baited traps were preferred over control and guinea-pig-baited traps, with one important exception: there was no significant difference among traps during the late period at 1.5 m elevation. The potential role of C. pipiens as a bridging vector of West Nile virus to humans is discussed.

Western honey bees, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), occur in nearly every region inhabited by man because they provide valuable honey, wax, and pollination services. Many commercial honey bee operations are plagued by economically important parasites; however, beekeepers on the island of Newfoundland, Canada, are in a unique position because of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador’s strict import regulations and geographic isolation. We surveyed about 25% of the island’s approximately 100 managed honey bee colonies. The parasitic mites Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman (Acari: Varroidae) and Acarapis woodi (Rennie) (Acari: Tarsonemidae) were not detected, whereas Nosema spp. microsporidia were detected in two of four beekeeping operations and in 11 of 23 (48%) colonies (intensity = 482 609 ± 1199 489 (mean ± SD); median intensity = 0). Because V. destructor and A. woodi are important pests that typically require chemical treatments, beekeepers on the island of Newfoundland may be uniquely positioned to market organic honey bee products from colonies that could also be a source of mite-naïve bees for research.

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), is a global pest of cruciferous crops (Brassicaceae). It has developed resistance to virtually all known insecticides, and biological control has become an important management tool. In North America the parasitoid Diadegma insulare (Cresson) has been used successfully to reduce diamondback moth populations. We document the presence of the α-proteobacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia and its associated bacteriophage WO in P. xylostella and D. insulare and examine the phylogenetic relationships of Wolbachia and WO in both host species. Our results suggest that Wolbachia and WO have been horizontally transferred in this insect–parasitoid system in recent evolutionary history. Knowledge of the dynamics of Wolbachia in P. xylostella and D. insulare may be an important factor in future control of this pest in the field.

We investigated whether or not pear ester (ethyl (E,Z)-2,4-decadienoate) attracted adult oriental fruit moths, Cydia molesta (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). The electroantennographic responses of C. molesta to pear ester were recorded and dose–response curves calculated. In laboratory bioassays, the attractiveness of different dosages was assessed in a dual-choice olfactometric arena. The responses of virgin males and females to pear ester in the presence and absence of pear (Pyrus communis L.), peach (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch.), and apple (Malus ×domestica Borkh.) (Rosaceae) shoots were evaluated. Electroantennographic recordings demonstrated that both male and female C. molesta were able to detect the pear ester. In our bioassay, however, pear ester readily attracted males but attracted very few females. The response of males was dose-dependent and they preferred pear ester over apple- and pear-shoot volatiles, whereas no apparent preference between pear ester and peach-shoot volatiles was observed. Therefore, this kairomonal compound could be more effective in attracting C. molesta when applied in orchards of secondary host plants, like apple or pear, than in peach orchards.

Leek moth, Acrolepiopsis assectella, recently became established in the Ottawa Valley, where it significantly damages garlic, leek, and onion (Allium L., Liliaceae) crops. At a threshold of 7 °C, populations in eastern Ontario require 444.6 day-degrees to develop from egg to adult. Pheromone-trap data identify spring, early-summer, and late-summer flight periods of overwintered 1st- and 2nd-generation adults, respectively. Depending on ambient temperatures, the life cycle takes 3–6 weeks in the field, with three generations possible. Management strategies such as application of reduced-risk foliar insecticides and use of row covers require precise timing to target appropriate life-cycle stages. Implementation windows can be determined by incorporating pheromone-trap data and ambient air temperature into a life-cycle development model. A proposed integrated pest management program will involve the use of pesticides, mechanical barriers, and classical biological control.

To evaluate sociality in small carpenter bees (Ceratina Latreille), we studied the life history and nesting biology of a common eastern North American species, Ceratina (Zadontomerus) calcarata Robertson. Pan-trap and nest collections throughout the active season (May to September 2006) were used to assess C. calcarata’s seasonal phenology and nesting biology in southern Ontario. Adults overwintered in their natal nests. Males emerged in early May and occupied preexisting hollows in twigs and stems. Females emerged from hibernacula 2 weeks later, founding new nests. Nest founding and provisioning occurred throughout the spring; females remained with developing brood through the summer. Complete nests contained, on average, 6.9 offspring, with egg-to-adult development averaging 46 days. Ceratina calcarata is subsocial rather than solitary: mothers are long-lived and nest-loyal, and care for offspring from egg to adulthood. Subsociality is found in all behaviourally classified small carpenter bees, while some species cross the boundary into social life, making Ceratina an important genus for the study of the transition between solitary and social life.

Eighteen species of cutworm moths were collected as larvae feeding at night on grapevines, Vitis sp. L. (Vitaceae), in south-central British Columbia, Canada, during April and May from 2004 to 2008. Ten species belonged to two genera, Abagrotis Smith and Euxoa Hübner. Abagrotis orbis (Grote), A. nefascia (Smith), and A. reedi Buckett accounted for over 85% of cutworms reared to adulthood. Abagrotis orbis and A. reedi were found in all locations; the former accounted for nearly 90% of larvae collected from vineyards on warm sandy soils. Abagrotis nefascia was largely restricted to cooler sites with heavier soils. For laboratory-reared A. orbis, pupal mass was highest and sex ratios were approximately equal when larvae were reared either on a pinto bean-based diet prepared with the recommended amount of water or on a commercial black cutworm diet and 50% of the recommended water. Survival to adult eclosion was significantly higher on the black cutworm diet, but because this was thicker than the pinto bean-based diet it was impractical to use. To date, A. orbis, A. nefascia, and A. reedi have been laboratory-reared continuously on artificial diet for more than six generations.