Laricobius erichsonii Rosen. is one of several species that have been introduced into the Atlantic Provinces since 1933 for the biological control of the balsam woolly aphid, Adelges piceae (Ratz.). This small beetle occurs commonly on A. piceae infestations in Europe where it is one of the more numerous predators of the adelgid (Mesnil, 1950:). Franz (1953) described its range in Europe as from the Italian Alps to near southern Denmark and from Normandy almost to the Carpathian Mountains, srating that its distribution is bound to that of the Coniferae on which its prey live. Franz also described the morphology of all stages in detail and discussed the bionomics and ecology in Europe. Prior to these studies the biology of thc insect was unknown.

In an earlier laboratory study (Burnett, 1958) influences of various types of host distribution on the efficiency of the chalcid parasite Encarsia formosa Gahan were determined. A constant number of parasites searched among five host densities for scales of the greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westw.), that were distributed in three patterns over a 25-square-inch surface. In addition to the increased parasitism resuItIng from contagious distributions of the host, it was found that approximately the same percentage of each of the five different host densities within the same distribution was attacked by the parasite.

Chant (1956) has shown that spiders are common predators in apple orchards in southeast England. Dondale (1956) listed the species of spiders found in Nova Scotia orchards. This is a note on population densities in the latter orchards from 1953 to 1956.

The sampling device used in this study was a cloth-covered, yard-square tray (Lord, 1956), supplemented in a minor way by a collecting umbrella. Each tray or umbrella collection represented the spiders jarred from the lower branches of a single tree, or from the lower branches of half of each of two trees.

In recent years there have been marked increases in populations of a pine weevil, Pissodes approximatus Hopk., in southern Ontario, especially in areas where pine trees, particularly Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris L., are grown in pure stands for the Christmas tree market. In several such areas where large weevil populations have built up in the stumps of the previous year's cutting, damage to remaining trees by adults feeding on the twigs and small branches has been heavy. Not only has the quality and value of the trees been reduced by this damage, but in some instances the trees have been killed (5).

Hylobius warreni Wood is a recently described weevil that was originally confused with Hypomolyx piceus (DeGeer, 1957). The larvae attack the inner bark and cambium of the root system of jack pine, Pinus bankisiana Lamb., and other conifers (Warren, 1956). The life history of this insect is being studied to determine biological differences between it and a closely related species, Hylobius pinicola (Couper). This information is also essential in order to continue detailed studies on the effect of site and other factors on the abundance of H. warreni (Warren, 1956a). The first requirement for fulfilling these objectives is the development of a satisfactory rearing technique.

The beech leaf tier, Psilocorsis faginella (Chamb.) is common on American beech, Fagus grandifolia Ehrh., in stands of northern hardwoods throughout Nova Scotia. During the feeding stage, the insect is conspicuous because of its leaf-tying habit (Fig. 1).

The literature on P. faginella is mostly taxonomic. Forbes (1923) and Gaighead (1950) mentioned the leaf-tying habit of the larva and the colour of the ultimate instar. Chambers (1872) originally described the adult as Hagno faginella, then placed it in the genus Cryptolechia (1878). The genus was later changed to Psilocorsis (Busck, 1908). Clark (1941) described the adult in more detail and listed Psilocorsis ferruginosa (Zeller) as a synonym.

Since 1953, plantation omers in southern Ontario have suffered serious losses from a group of tip-infesting insects of the family Tortricidae. These insects live primarily on the herbaceous ground-cover plants but may ascend trees under about 3 feet in height and feed on the new shoots during May and June, killing or injuring the leaders and causing serious growth deformities. Five species are involved, of which Tortrix alleniana Fernald and T. pallorana Robinson are common, and Archips rosaceana Harris, Sparganothis sulfureana Clemens, and S. unifasciana lemens occur only as scattered individuals among larger populations of the two common species. This paper records the most salient points in the life history and general ecology of T. alleniana and T. pallorana, with notes on the other three species.

The female of Prosimulium flaviantennus (Stains and Knowlton) was originally described from Logan Canyon, Utah in 1940. In 1943 the same authors figured the genitalia of a male they considered to be of this species. No actual description of the male was given, and nothing on the biology was reported.

During the spring of 1956 and 1957 large numbers of larvae and pupae of the species were collecced by the writer. Reared pupae provided adults of both sexes. A redescription of the female and first descriptions of the male, pupa and larva, and notes on the biology and distribution of this species are presented below.

Hübner (1818:24) erected the genus Epicorsia, mentioning two species: E. mellinalis Hübner and E. verticalis (Linnaeus). Shibuya (1928:280) selected nyctemeralis Hübner and Pierce and Metcalfe ( 1938:58) selected repandalis Schiff. as type of Epicorsia; both selections refer to a publication other than the original one of the genus and are therefore intrinsically invalid; moreover neither of these species is one of the originally included ones. Accordingly I hereby select Epicorsia mellinalis Hübner as type of Epicorsia Hübner, in accordance with the usage of Warren (1891) and of most modern authors.

Five species of parasites reared from European material were released at Oak Hill, near Bridgewater, Nova Scotia from 1954 to 1956 as biotic agents against the winter moth, Operophtera brumata (L.) which had been established in Nova Scotia since before 1950. Recovery collections were made annually from 1955 to 1957. This work is still in progress, and in 1957 releases were made in four additional localities. Results of establishment of parasites from releases from 1954 to 1956 are reported below.

The fall cankerworm, Alsophila pometaria (Harr.), and the winter moth, Operophtera brumata (Linn.), both feed to a great extent on the same tree species and prefer apple, Malus spp., red oak, Quercus rubra L., basswood, Tilia spp., white elm, Ulmus americana L., and Norway maple, Acer platanoides L. They also have similar life-histories and habits (Smith 1950 and 1953). Both lay their eggs on the trees in the fall and overwinter in this stage. The eggs hatch about the same time and the larvae of (both species mature about the third week in June. They drop to the ground and form cocoons at a depth of about an inch. The adults emerge about the same time, commencing usually during the last week in October and continuing until early December or until the ground freezes.

The material on which the following descriptions are based was collected by the junior author during a study of the life-histories and ecologies of the Simuliidae of the Prairie Provinces. The type locality for both forms is the Shell River at the bridge on Provincial Highway No. 55, five miles west of Prince Albert and about 24½ miles above its junction with rhe North Saskatchewan River. Here the river is about 30 feet widc and has a bed of fine gravel or sand. When the collections were made, the water had a mean depth of one foot, a flow-rate of 1.5-2.0 ft. per second, and a temperature range of 55-59° F. Pupae were collected from emergent vegetation, chiefly grass blades, in the swifter parts of the stream. The following species were also taken at this site: Simulium (Hellichia) canonicolum (D. & S.), S. (Eusimulium) aureum Fries, S. (Byssodon) rugglesi N. & M., S. decorum Wlk., S. luggeri N. & M., S. tuberosum Lund., S. venustum Say, and S. (Neosimulium) vittatum Zett.

The following is a description of a new species of predacious mite of the subfamily Phytoseiinae. It is found in orchards in Nova Scotia on the bark of apple trees, but in no instance has it been taken from the foliage. This species is similar in structure to Typhlodromus tiliae Oudmus. (Nesbitt, 1951), but its habits differ. In this paper the differences between T. tiliae and the species herein described are noted and details of a laboratory study of the life-histories and food habits of these species are given.

These observations, dealing with noctuid larvae, were made while the writer was associated with the Canadian Forest Insect and Disease Survey. Twenty-four species have been examined: 9 in the Hadeninae, 10 in the Cucullinae, 3 in the Amphipyrinae, and 2 in the Catocalinae. The arrangement of the subfamilies follows that of McDunnough (1938). This material is being published because many of these species have not been included in Crumb (1956) and new data are presented on the species considered by him. The descriptions were made from living and preserved larvae. Notes on biologies, unless otherwise indicated, refer to those made by the writer in Manitoba and Alberta during the years 1944-1954. The hosts are those on which larvae have been reared to adults by the Forest Insect and Disease Survey, except in a few cases where the host is cited from the literature. “Free-living larvae”, are those that feed openly. When the number of instars is not known the larvae are described as antepenultimate, penultimate, and ultimate. In measurements, H.W. refers to head width, B.L., to total larval length, and B.W., to greatest larval width.

Neilson (1955) listed 19 species of sawflies collected from low-bush blueberry fields in New Brunswick. However, most of the listed species are either scarce or transient. This paper embodies notes on the life-histories, seasonal development, and parasites of the common species, Neopareophora litura (Klug), Pristiphora bivittata (Nort.), P. idiota (Nort.), Pristiphora sp., and two species of Nematus. The data were obtained from field collections and insectary rearing. Keys are provided for identification of the immature stages.

An apparatus which provides a temperature gradient within a small enclosed space is described. Provision is made for control of absolute humidity within the apparatus so that the same temperature gradient may be used with a variety of humidity gradients. The system of temperature measurement and recording and the operating characteristics of the machine are described.

In 1956, the spruce budworm infestation which had been in progress in the Lower St. Lawrence and Gaspe Peninsula for about eight years, covered the whole territory from the Rimouski River to the eastern tip of the Peninsula (Fig. 1). In many localities throughout the region repeated defoliation had been severe enough to cause some trees to die (3) . Had it not been for the extensive aerial spraying operations practised in this region since 1954, tree mortality would undoubtedly have been even more widespread.

Adults of most species of insect parasites spend much time finding objects that influence their individual and collective well-being. The object found at any time is usually correlated with the physiological state of the parasite and with extrinsic factors existing at that time. From the standpoint of the species' economy, the most important objects to be discovered are hosts on which fertile parasite progeny can mature. Whether hosts are found and parasitized is influenced, to varying degrees with different parasite species, by whether the female has already found, or been found by, a male of the same species, and by whether she has already located food other than that provided by hosts. The present study is of factors that affect host finding by females of a pteromalid, Nasonia vitripennis (Walk.).

Since the initial observations on the pitcher plant mosquito, Wyeomyia smithii (Coquillett), from 1901 to 1904 by Smith (1901), only limited additional contributions have been made toward the understanding of the biology of this species. Horsfall (1955) indicates that, aside from one 1913 citation and a brief reference to his own observations, all material summarized by him about this species was reported by Smith. For the past 50 years, mosquito workers have generally limited their observations on W. smithii to statements of seasonal development in nature, this usually being in conjunction with a more detailed regional study emphasizing the ecology of other mosquito species. The wellknown specificity for the development of W. smithii only in the pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea, undoubtedly has precluded much in the way of laboratory investigations on this mosquito. However, during the summer of 1957, a large number of larvae of this species was found just north of Itasca State Park, Clearwater Co., Minn., and the opportunity presented itself to investigate the possibility of rearing W. smithii independent of the pitcher plant. It is the purpose of this paper to describe a method for the laboratory colonization of this mosquito completely free of any pitcher plant association and to make additional contributions to the biology of this species

A series of rearing chambers that have given satisfactory control of temperature and humidity have been in use in the entomological laboratory at Kentville during the past three years. The unit requires very little attention except a service check of the cabinets every two or three months.

The dimensions are given in Fig. 1 except for the depth, which is 30 inches on the outside. The cabinet is constructed of 3/4-inch plywood without a supporting frame. Trays with perforated steel bottoms are arranged inside the cabinet on adjustable shelf brackets. The cabinet is provided with an upper and a lower door with removable jamb between them that may be removed when installing the trays in the cabinet. The doors are provided with a double glass window, which in turn is covered by a plywood door. A thermostat and a hygrostat are installed on the inside wall of the chamber about one foot from the bottom. The cabinet sets on a 15-inch base as shown in Fig. 1. The cabinet is painted inside with a steam-resistant paint to facilitate cleaning, and is provided with two 15-watt fluorescent lights inside at the top.