Epinotia nanana (Tr.) has become increasingly important in recent years in Quebec as it has caused severe defoliation of ornamental spruce trees in the Berthierville area, Quebec. The insect has a one-year life cycle and overwinters in the larval stage, mainly in the fifth instar, in a mined needle. Damage is most noticeable in the spring. Fairly heavy mortality, probably due to unfavourable climatic conditions, occurs among overwintering larvae. The amount of control exerted by parasites is always low.

Hot, dry weather accompanied the decline of black-headed budworm populations in 1955 and 1965. A study of weather records for southeast Alaska for the period 1945 to 1965 shows that the collapse of high populations occurred in years of unusually warm, dry weather during July. No consistent weather pattern was apparent during the years of population increases. The great reduction in budworm numbers occurred during the larval periods in both 1955 and 1965. No evidence of disease was found in either outbreak.

Radioactive phosphorus was used as a tracer in assessing the number of red-legged grasshoppers (Melanoplus femurrubrum (De Geer)) eaten by the European praying mantis (Mantis religiosa L.) under seminatural conditions. The predator showed a functional response to changing prey densities with a continuously decreasing increase in the number of prey removed from the population.

Two of the four Nearctic species of Fervidobombus occur in southern Alberta. One, Bombus californicus, is confined to the wooded areas whereas the other, B. fervidus, is confined to the prairie. When given a choice, B. fervidus nested in underground hives and B. californicus mostly in surface hives. Queens of B. fervidus sometimes made false nests at tunnel entrances. Both established nests late but were not the latest species to establish in their respective habitats.

B. californicus made 10 ± 3 and B. fervidus 8 ± 1 cells in the first broods. Both constructed pollen-pockets beside and beneath the broods of young larvae destined to become workers. Queens required about 27 days to rear the first workers. The workers of succeeding broods were progressively larger, the last ones produced being almost as large as queens. B. fervidus produced more broods of workers than B. californicus; colonies of B. fervidus averaged 247 individuals, the largest being 287, whereas those of B. californicus averaged only 52, the largest being 97.

Males of B. fervidus were attracted to nests containing new queens. New queens of B. californicus dug about 1.5 in. into the ground to hibernate.

Females of the cuckoo bee, Psithyrus insularis, succeeded in having their young reared to maturity in nests of B. californicus. The big-headed fly, Physocephala texana, parasitized founding queens of B. fervidus.

Monelliopsis Richards is composed of small, pale aphids that occur mainly on the Juglandaceae and only in North America. The five known species are: caryae (Monell), nigropunctata (Granovsky), pleurialis Richards, bisetosa new species, and tuberculata new species. The new species were discovered in Chihuahua, Mexico. Monelliopsis nigropunctata is redescribed because the cotypes are a mixture of two species. A key to the known species is given.

All the Provancher species of Formicidae have been synonymized. However examination of the types shows that three species were new at the time. But one of them was a primary homonym. A new synonymy and a new combination are proposed.

A list of 169 aphid species occurring in the Province of Quebec is given. Two new species: Stegophylla quercina n. sp. from Quercus, and Heterocallis daviaulti n. g., n. sp. from Carex are described.

Light traps using incandescent lamps operated on 115-volt commercial power have been used in studies in Saskatchewan of the lepidopterous pests of rapeseed crops. However, there was a need for a light trap that could be operated in areas remote from electric power. Because of the proven usefulness of low-wattage argon lamps in pink bollworm detection investigations (Glick 1961), and their low power requirements, these lamps were used experimentally in the portable power and control system described here.

Paraprosalpia dytisci new species is described from a larva, puparia, and adults reared from a dead larva of Dytiscus fasciventris Say, collected in southern Ontario.

Insight into the source of aggregation in the spatial distribution of cocoons of the Swaine jack-pine sawfly, Neodiprion swainei Middleton was gained by the use of special techniques enabling the sampling of units of forest floor in contiguous 2 × 2-inch square samples, as well as by randomized one-square-foot samples taken over a larger area. It was concluded that cocoon distribution is initially random but marked aggregation results from the subsequent transportation of cocoons into feeding stations by predacious small mammals, mostly of the genus Sorex. The feeding stations tended to be distributed near decaying stems and stumps on the forest floor, a factor which augmented the extent of aggregation. Of cocoons not preyed upon by small mammals, slightly higher counts were recorded directly under crown canopies as opposed to open areas, at a tree density of approximately 920 per acre.

A new genus Keltonia is described, with two new species from Florida, rubrofemorata and fuscipunctata. Psallus sulphureus Reuter (1907), formerly included in Reuteroscopus Kirkaldy (1905), is placed in this genus (n. comb.), and Psallus conspurcatus Blatchley (1928) is considered a synonym of sulphureus (n. syn.). Psallus balli Knight (1926) is transferred to Keltonia (n. comb.).

Emergence of apple maggot adults, Rhagoletis pomonella Walsh, under field conditions at Guelph, Ontario, revealed that most maggots emerged from the apples between 2 July and 11 August. However, 12 of 673 emerged benveen 17 August and 16 September. Because this extended period of maggot emergence creates problems in visual certification of maggot-free export fruit, attempts were made to find a more effective trapping method than the use of bait pails for appraising maggot infestations.

Cocoons of the European pine sawfly were exposed in rodent-proof trays to determine what parasites attack this pest in southern Ontario. Exposures at 17 localities showed that two introduced parasites, Dahlbominus fuscipennis (Zetterstedt) and Pleolophus (= Aptesis) basizonus (Gravenhorst), are firmly established throughout the distribution of the host. The former parasite has spread more than 30 miles and the latter at least 70 miles in approximately 20 years. The number of trays found by each species varied considerably with locality. In general, the number of native parasitic species obtained tended to increase with age of infestation, with Mastrus aciculatus (Provancher) being the most prevalent.

Two artificial (oligidic) media have been developed for the rearing of Dendroctonus pseudotsugae under xenic conditions. One medium composed of macerated, frozen inner bark of Douglas fir, brewers yeast, antimicrobial agents sorbic acid and sodium benzoate, and water, permitted 75.17%, ± 3.04 S.E., of newly hatched larvae to develop to the adult stage. A second medium, composed of powdered, lyophilized inner bark of Douglas fir, brewers yeast, sorbic acid, sodium benzoate, glucose, cellulose, water, and agar, permitted 41.72%, ± 3.14 S.E., of newly hatched larvae to develop to the adult stage. The rate of development on each medium to the fourth-instar, pupal, and adult stages was somewhat shorter than that in published developmental data for this species. Immature beetles appear to be tolerant of considerable variation in pH and physical consistency and palatability of food material but are relatively sensitive to moisture levels. The adults obtained from each of the two media appeared to be normal, and the females were capable of laying viable eggs.

Feeding tests with the adults of Exeristes comstockii (Cress.) on chemically defined diets showed that, of ten B-vitamins omitted singly, only three, panthothenic acid, folic acid and thiamine, were needed for maximal egg production and maximal numbers of eggs contained in ovaries. Egg production on a diet with only these three vitamins was similar to that on a control with all B-vitamins, but egg viability was significantly lower. Addition of α-tocopherol did not increase fecundity or egg viability. Vitamin-starved females partly recovered ovarian function when fed tissues of Galleria mellonella L.

In Deinocerites, an aberrant offshoot of Culex, the larvae live in water in deep crab holes and the adults also are often found in the burrow. The males have elongate non-plumose antennae and specialized front claws, and often rest on the surface film. In observation cages the males associate with pupae (of either sex) at the surface of the water, hold them lightly with the claws and sense the pupal horns (spiracles) with their antennae. The male perceives the pupa at 1–2 cm. An emerging female elicits a strong response from males up to 15 cm. away; the males fight for possession and mating may be established before the female has fully emerged. The pupal skin continues to attract for several minutes thereafter. Emergence of the adult male was not successfully observed. Probably both pupal attendance and mating response depend on a chemical stimulus, which appears to be non-specific.

The males also make slow exploratory flights near the cage walls, and a mating response may be elicited when their legs touch a resting insect. The response is made to either sex (perhaps more readily to the female) and again is non-specific. The two mating processes are presumably reinforcing, and both seem well adapted to the natural habitat provided the lack of specificity is tolerable.

Several other mosquitoes, all of slow flight and restricted habitat, make similar irregular flights and mate on contact with resting females. Probably this behaviour represents the last phase of mating in more strongly flying (swarming) species, after the sexes are brought together by the auditory response mediated by the plumose antennae. In some mosquitoes the two patterns of behaviour coexist. Assembly at a swarm-marker and recognition in flight must be less necessary in non-dispersing forms in confined habitats, and most of all in Deinocerites. Several other crab hole mosquitoes show convergence or analogies with Deinocerites.

The association with the pupa and the related attraction to the female at emergence find a parallel only in Opifex fuscus; but in Opifex these processes depend not on a chemical stimulus but mainly on vision, as befits an inhabitant of open sunlit pools.

A new species, Teratocoris borealis, is described from Northwest Territories. T. viridis D. & S. is reported for the first time from the Nearctic Region. T. herbaticus Uhl. and T. lineatus Wagn. are synonymized with saundersi D. & S., T. caricis Kirk. (= longicornis Uhl.) is reinstated as a good species. Species are keyed and male genitalia are figured.

Observations on the life cycle and habits of Enoclerus lecontei were made in the laboratory and field. The eggs passed through distinctive color changes during their development; these color changes were used to determine their age. The three larval instars were separated on the basis of head capsule width. Larval size varied according to the amount of food consumed. All larvae were orange-red in color, except the third instar which altered to purple 4 to 6 days after moulting. The duration of the respective stadia were first, 8 to 15 days; second, 5 to 8 days; third, 19 to 35 days. At least one mature prey-larva was necessary for development in each instar but up to seven were consumed. The third instar fed for only 4 to 11 days, the remaining time was spent in a highly mobile, non-feeding stage. The pupal stage lasted 9 to 11 days. Adults lived 36 to 114 days and consumed from 44 to 158 bark beetle adults. The sex ratio was 1:1. The mating habits, oviposition behavior and feeding behavior are described.

The significance of the housefly, Musca domestica Linnaeus, as a probably introduced species in the Western Hemisphere is pertinent to a search for more exotic natural enemies in the Eastern Hemisphere. Avenues of entry into this hemisphere are discussed. A list is provided of the principal larval and pupal parasites found by the authors attacking M. domestica in North, Central, and South America and this is compared to species from the Eastern Hemisphere.

More than 40 species of insects and arachnids attack Panonychus ulmi (Koch), Tetranychus urticae Koch, T. canadensis (McGregor), Bryobia arborea Morgan and Anderson, or Aculus cornutus (Banks) in peach orchards of the Niagara Peninsula. The most effective predators attacking P. ulmi are Typhlodromus caudiglans Schuster, Haplothrips faurei Hood, Stethorus punctillum Weise, and Chrysopa spp. Peach orchards lack the predatory mirids characteristic of apple orchards. A condition, presumably disease, caused heavy mortality in one year. Endemic densities of P. ulmi are maintained in that state by predators, chiefly T. caudiglans, that subsist to a considerable extent on other sources of food, whereas epidemics of P. ulmi are reduced largely by other predators, chiefly H. faurei and S. punctillum, that increase in numbers by feeding on the mite during its period of rapid population growth but exert their greatest effect later in the season by destroying the winter eggs.