Two techniques for measuring size of ingested blood meal and 5 methods of measuring proteinase activity in the midgut of Aedes aegypti are compared. Protein, measured after trichloroacetic acid precipitation, was found to be most suitable for determining blood meal size and loss of protein from the gut. Of 5 proteinase substrates tested (BAPNA (benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide), hemoglobin, casein, azocasein, and hide powder azure), BAPNA was considered most suitable for trypsin measurements. These techniques were used to show that virgin females, 6 and 10 days after eclosion, consumed smaller meals than mated females. Virgin females also showed delays in both onset of protein loss from the gut and the increase in proteinase activity after blood feeding.

A review of Nearctic Apotomis Hübner (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Olethreutini) is presented. Seventeen species are recognized, of which the following are new: coloradensis, trifida, and spurinfida. Apotomis strigosa Heinrich, 1926 is considered a new synonym of tertiana McDunnough, 1922, and dextrana McDunnough, 1923 of removana Kearfott, 1907. Descriptions, distribution maps, and a key to species are provided. Illustrations of male and female genitalia and photographs of distinctive wing patterns are included. Scanning electron micrographs reveal that setae on digitus of male genitalia are taxonomically important.

Workers of the bumblebee Bombus griseocollis were found to use honey-daubing as a method of defence against (mostly heterospecific) intruders. The distant taxonomic relatedness of this species to others that practise honey-daubing may imply that this defence has evolved independently at least twice in the genus Bombus.

An IPM program was developed to control Venturia inaequalis (Cke.) Wint., Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beaiivois), Conotrachelus nenuphar (Herbst), and Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh), the annual key pests of apple orchards in southwestern Quebec. The program was found to control other pests, such as Orthosia hibisci (Guenée). Phytophagous tetranychids were controlled with the introduction of an organophosphate-resistant strain of Amblyseius fallacis Garman, Key pests were monitored carefully and pesticide applications were timed to correspond to their presence in the orchard. After an extremely severe winter and late spring frosts, the IPM program failed to provide commercially acceptable pest control. A measure to correct this problem is suggested in the text. This program reduced the cost of pesticide treatments by 34% when compared with pest control practices currently used by commercial growers in Quebec.

Second- and 3rd-instar nymphs of Melanoplus sanguinipes (Fab.) were more susceptible to Nosema cuneatum Henry infection than were 5th-instar nymphs. Lethal times were significantly lower for 2nd- and 3rd-instar nymphs inoculated with 1.0 × 106 and 104N. cuneatum spores/individual than for similarly treated 5th-instar nymphs and a much higher percentage of the latter were uninfected at the end of the experimental period (40–60 days post-inoculation). Fifth-instar nymphs inoculated with 1.0 × 106 spores/individual showed reduced adult longevity. The number of eggs laid per female was not significantly different for inoculated or untreated 5th-instar nymphs. However, the dry weights of eggs laid by inoculated grasshoppers were significantly lower and fewer eggs hatched than for those laid by untreated grasshoppers. Twenty to 30% of the progeny from inoculated 5th-instar nymphs had detectable levels of N. cuneatum sporoblasts and spores.

The temporal relationship between male and female emergence and the relationship between attractant-baited trap catches and emergence of the spotted tentiform leafminer, Phyllonorycter blancardella (Fabr.), were studied in commercial apple orchards in Norfolk County, Ontario, during 1983 and 1984. The onset and progression of male and female emergence was highly synchronized during each of the three-yearly activity periods. The traps were a sensitive indicator of the onset of the spring-emergence period. However, peaks in the numbers of moths trapped did not occur at times of peak moth emergence and changes in the size of trap catches were not a reliable indicator of changes in the rate of moth emergence. During the spring-emergence period, peaks in trap catch were associated with relatively high daily air temperatures.

Individual growth rates of larval dragonflies can exhibit density dependence under field conditions. Retarded growth can occur despite an apparent abundance of food and may be due to some form of stress caused by aggressive interactions. I used laboratory experiments to test for effects of larval density, accumulated waste products, and disturbance on growth of larval Enallagma ebrium given abundant food. Experimental treatments had no clear effect on larval weight, size, or duration in an instar. Thus aggressive interactions, in the absence of food limitation, may not be important in affecting growth rates of larval odonates.

The proportion of large Camponotus modoc workers returning to the nest with solid food was significantly less than that of smaller workers. The average weight of ants collected at colonies of the aphid Cinara occidentalis was significantly less than the average weight of ants collected in the vicinity of the ant nest. These data and additional observations suggest that small ants are more likely to attend aphids and transport solid food than are large ants. Some large ants may specialize in honeydew transport. Markand-recapture studies showed that workers of Camponotus modoc returned to the same trunk trails and aphid colonies from which they had previously been removed. When relocated to either the base of the tree or to the nest entrance, some workers demonstrated a capacity to recognize the original aphid colony from among as many as eight other colonies in the same tree. Some ants were observed on the same aphid colony for long periods.

New genera Hirtodeceia, Marmarodeceia, Oncodometopus, Pachyopella, Poecilolycia, Trisapromyza, and Xeniconeura are described. The first two are exclusively Neotropical; the others occur also in the Nearctic Region. Relationships with other genera are discussed, and included species are listed. Homoneura (Euhomoneura) pictipennis Hendel is a preoccupied name, and the species is renamed and assigned to Marmarodeceia. Lyciella Collin is discussed, and L. rorida (Fallén) is recorded for the first time in North America.

The behavior, reproductive capability, and longevity of Telenomus calvus Johnson, a phoretic egg parasitoid of the spined soldier bug, Podisus maculiventris (Say), were examined in the laboratory. Telenomus calvus females were observed at 25 different locations on hosts’ bodies; preferred sites were pronota and femora. Attachment to hosts was facilitated by greatly enlarged arolia. Parasitoids dismounted from hosts at the time of oviposition to parasitize egg masses. Production of female progeny by parasitoids in phoretic association with hosts peaked on the 1st day after adult emergence, then declined steadily until day 6; male progeny production remained relatively low and constant over the same period. The mean (± SE) number of progeny produced by T. calvus females was 22.4 ± 3.0. Such a small egg complement enabled most females not in phoretic association, and presented with a fresh egg mass daily, to oviposit all or nearly all of their eggs in the first host egg mass encountered. The intrinsic rate of natural increase for T. calvus in phoretic association was estimated as 0.149 ♀ ♀−1 day−1, resulting in a doubling time of 4.65 days. Longevity on non-ovipositing females with access to honey was 33.7 ± 1.1 days, but declined sharply to 5.7 ± 0.4 days when in phoretic association with hosts. Pre-imaginal development of T. calvus was restricted to host eggs that were ≤12h old, despite continued observed oviposition attempts in older host masses. These results are discussed with regard to the biology of T. calvus as a phoretic parasitoid and to its importance as a parasitoid of P. maculiventris in Louisiana.

Section 7 of the primary simplex of the ductus ejaculatorius of unmated male spruce bud worm moths, Choristoneura fumiferana, contains a yellow substance that is not present in recently mated males. The yellow substance occurs in laboratory-colony males reared on diet and in feral males reared on foliage. It is shown that the presence/absence of this material is a reliable index of copulation during the previous 24 h. Although the yellow substance regenerates over a period of several days, males 0–72 h post-copulation may be indexed when compared with unmated males of similar age.

Ips calligraphus (Germar) has previously been recorded from Jamaica but this is the first record of Ips grandicollis (Eichhoff) in the island. In Jamaica, both bark beetles attack 5 species of Pinus, 4 of which had not been previously recorded. The beetles thrive mainly on freshly cut logs and weakened trees, but recently they have been rising to economic importance in plantations. Successful attack on live trees is enhanced by mass aggregation of dispersing adults during invasion. Some adults may re-emerge after a phase of oviposition and disperse to new food sources. There is degeneration of flight muscles during oviposition, and regeneration to allow for another dispersive flight. In I. calligraphus attacking Pinus caribaea there was a mean of 26.74 ± 6.86 (mean ± SE) eggs per gallery, while in I. grandicollis there was 19.29 ± 3.04. The proportion of females at emergence was 0.57 ± 0.03 and 0.05 ± 0.02 in I. calligraphus and I. grandicollis, respectively.

Life tables for Coleophora laricella (Hübner) at three locations in Oregon were completed for six generations from overwintering larvae in 1978–1979 through overwintering larvae in 1984–1985. Egg densities (per 100 buds) were high (range 279–1038) at Catherine Creek, moderate (49–705) at Tollgate, and low (14–200) at Emigrant Springs. Mortality of early stages was in the order CC>T>ES and tended to equalize overwintering densities. Ten within-generation mortalities (k-values) were calculated. Adult mortality (or reduced fecundity) was always highest. The key factor at Tollgate was mortality of needleminers along with winter-to-spring disappearance. At Catherine Creek, the key factor was mortality of fall casebearers. At Emigrant Springs, the expanding population of an introduced parasite, Agathis pumila (Ratz.), indicated a change in the key factor from mortality of needleminers to parasitism. Mortality of fall casebearers at Emigrant Springs was density dependent. Parasitism caused by A. pumila and another introduced species, Chrysocharis laricinellae (Ratz.), showed characteristics of delayed density dependence.

Two Sumithion® formulations were sprayed aerially to compare their effectiveness in controlling spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens), in balsam fir, Abies balsamea (L.) Mill. Sumithion 20% flowable, a new formulation, and Sumithion technical were applied twice at 210 g AI (in 1.5 L of spray mix)/ha using a Cessna 188 Agtruck equipped with four Micronair atomizers. More than 95% of the technical and <45% of the Sumithion flowable spray droplets were <50 μm in diameter. Larval reduction ranged from 67 to 84% in the Sumithion flowable plots, from 52 to 55% in the Sumithion technical plots, and from 28 to 38% in the untreated plots. Postspray residual populations averaged 4.1, 6.2, and 10.3 larvae per 46-cm branch in the flowable, technical, and untreated blocks, respectively. Defoliation in the Sumithion flowable block averaged 18.5% and was not significantly different from the technical block but both were significantly less (α = 0.05) than that in the untreated block, which averaged 46.2%. The results suggest that Sumithion 20% flowable was more efficacious in controlling spruce budworm than Sumithion technical insecticide.

Mesothoracic skeletomusculature of male and female Eupelminae is described and compared with that of other Eupelmidae, Chalcidoidea, and Hymenoptera. Various external mesopleural features and structural dimorphism between the sexes are explained by differences in muscle form and placement. A set of terms for mesothoracic structure is proposed that is equally applicable to male and female eupelmines and to other chalcidoids. Mechanics of flight and jumping in male eupelmines, and of jumping in females, is also described. The flight mechanism of males is similar to that previously described in other hymenopterans and is structurally independent of the jumping mechanism. Contraction of large mesotergal-mesotrochanteral muscles, originating from the axillae and axillar phragmata, act directly to retract the mesotrochanters into the mesocoxae for jumping. Females have coadapted the flight and jumping mechanisms into a single mechanism to improve jumping greatly. The mesotergal-mesotrochanteral muscles are reduced to slender, tendon-like muscles originating from the anteroventral angle of each lateral axillar surface. Jumping in females results from contraction of large mesopleural-mesotergal muscles that insert into anterolateral processes of the mesoscutum by pads of resilin. The pads are stretched during contraction of the mesopleural-mesotergal muscles and the potential energy thus stored is subsequently released to flex the mesonotum along the transscutal articulation. The first and second axillary sclerites are modified to function as a hinge to control mesonotal flexing for jumping. Flexing the mesonotum rotates the lateral axillar surfaces anteriorly and dorsally, thereby pulling up on the mesotergal-mesotrochanteral muscles and changing a horizontally directed force into a vertical force that is used to retract the mesotrochanters for jumping. A mesothoracic lock mechanism to prevent initial mesonotal flexing is proposed, but is not documented. “Contortion” of female eupelmines is described, and is a consequence of the increased degree of mesonotal flexing required for their jumping mechanism. The modified mesocoxal articulation of females is hypothesized to function in rotating the middle legs cephalad to protect the head and antennae during landing. It is questioned whether female eupelmines can fly, and the adaptive significance of enhancement of jumping at the expense of flight in females, and of sexual dimorphism in the subfamily, is discussed.

Three species of egg–larval parasites in the genus Chelonus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) exhibited host-searching behavior when exposed to body scales from 6 species of Lepidoptera representing 3 families. The nonspecific response to scales from several hosts appears to be of adaptive value to Chelonus spp., as it is consistent with the polyphagous habits reported for this genus. The searching response was more widespread and intense in an Ethiopian Chelonus sp. than in 2 other species. It is thought that the broad responsiveness to host scales may detrimentally affect parasite searching ability through excessive loss of searching time, although sensory adaptation to the kairomones might serve to attenuate such effect. Some coevolutionary aspects of this host–parasite chemical interaction are discussed.

Avoidance of four strains of Drosophila melanogaster to the pyrethroid insecticide permethrin was studied. All strains showed concentration-dependent avoidance, with avoidance detected at levels as low as 1 ppm. Avoidance was not dependent on the insect acquiring a lethal dose. Some correlation appeared to exist between higher locomotor activity and lower sensitivity to permethrin. The most sensitive strain had the lowest activity. Two of the four strains studied were chosen as permethrin-sensitive mutants following mutagenesis. These two strains had activity levels significantly lower than the original strain from which they were obtained, raising the question as to whether the increased sensitivity to permethrin following mutagenesis reflects an alteration in the target site of permethrin, a neuroactive insecticide.

Four lines of Aphidoletes aphidimyza (Rond.) were selected for nondiapause (one for 50 generations) under L:D 8:16 and 21 ± 1°C. In three selected lines, diapause incidence dropped rapidly in the first four or five generations, with means of 3–11% thereafter. There was no clear response to selection in the fourth line. Neither morphology nor sex ratio was affected by nondiapause selection in any lines, nor was fecundity affected in the longest-reared line. Reciprocal crosses indicated that the diapause trait was dominant; the effect of relaxing selection pressure was a gradual increase in diapause incidence after eight generations. There was a correlation between increased diapause incidence and slower development in selected lines. Diapause larvae took longer to develop than nondiapause larvae from the same line. Selection for nondiapause under L:D 8:16 with fluctuating thermoperiods was unsuccessful.

The chalcidoid wasp, Hemadas nubilipennis (Ashmead), induces a reniform gall on the adventitious shoots of lowbush blueberry. Eggs are laid within shoot tissues 5–15 mm below the tip and then the female destroys the apex of the shoot by stabbing with her ovipositor. Stabbing terminates growth of the shoot, and as a result all nutrients flowing into the shoot are redirected towards the gall tissues and larvae. This is a rare example of an insect damaging tissues of the host plant for the benefit of the offspring. It also is suggested that stabbing and gall formation have a pruning effect on the host plant.

Comparisons of three isomers of the San Jose scale [Quadraspidiotus perniciosus (Comstock)] pheromone showed that SJS3 was slightly more attractive than SJS1 or SJS2. Pheromone-baited traps were compared with sticky barrier traps for the detection and monitoring of male emergence activity and each trap type produced a different activity pattern relative to both calendar days and accumulated degree-days (DD). San Jose scale phenology varied between geographic areas of the Okanagan Valley when compared by using DD accumulations above either 7.2 or 10.5°C and suggests a trend towards decreasing DD requirements as the insect’s distribution moves north.