Wild codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), females were trapped from May through September in the upper (Yakima) and lower (White Swan) Yakima River Basin, WA, using 10 bait traps and 4 and 19 blacklight traps, respectively, for 2 and 5 years in abandoned apple orchards. The average spermatophore count per female at Yakima was 1.08; at White Swan it was 1.76. The spermatophore count was similar in both first (0.97 and 1.79) and second (1.00 and 1.70) generations at both locations. Regression analysis of field data and laboratory tests showed that cool temperatures reduced the number of spermatophores, which reflect reduced mating. There was a high correlation between the number of small spermatophores and females with multiple spermatophores. Usually females with a large spermatophore mated only once. Females usually mated on the 1st day following emergence. Once mated, even females with small spermatophores seldom mated again on subsequent days.

A new penicillate diplopod, Polyxenus koreanus sp. nov., is described from Korea. This is the first record of penicillate diplopods in Korea.

A species of the genus Monotarsobius, M. kojimai sp. nov., is described from Japan. This species is characterized by having a notable swelling on the dorsal side of tarsus I of the 15th leg in the male.

The major sex pheromone component from female moths of Retinia metallica (Busck) was identified as Z7,E9-dodecadienyl acetate (Z7,E9-12:Ac) by a combination of electroantennographic (EAG), gas chromatographic (GC), and mass spectrometric analyses. In field tests, males of R. metallica were strongly attracted to Z7,E9-12:Ac. Addition of Z7,Z9-12:Ac, E7,Z9-12:Ac, Z7,E9-dodecadienol (Z7,E9-12:OH), andZ7-dodecenyl acetate (Z7-12:Ac) to Z7,E9-12:Ac did not significantly alter trap catch. However, the addition of E9-dodecenyl acetate (E9-12:Ac) and Z9-12:Ac reduced trap catch. Trap catch was affected by height of placement; traps placed in the upper third of the tree (6 m) caught significantly more males than traps placed at lower heights.

Stem galls of Diplolepis spinosa (Ashmead), usually found on the endemic rose Rosa blanda Ait., and root galls of D. radicum (Osten Sacken), usually found on the endemic rose R. acicularis Lindl., have become established on the cultivated rose R. rugosa Thunb. in Canada. Adults and galls of D. spinosa and D. radicum are described and compared with those of closely related species. Host records, damage, and distribution of both species are discussed as is the suitability of R. rugosa as a host. It is suggested that galls in urban habitats are being established by adults flying into cities from surrounding patches of endemic roses.

Chironomid stratigraphic analyses of sediment from Hippa Lake, Queen Charlotte Islands, B.C., revealed a fossil chironomid record unlike that reported for deeper lakes of southwestern British Columbia, but similar to an arctic Alaskan sequence. Little evidence of trophic succession or climatic change was noted.

Chironomids, including Corynocera nr. ambigua Zett., rapidly colonized the lake. Because the known adults of Corynocera Zett. are brachypterous, the early arrival of C. nr. ambigua at Hippa Lake suggested either that this species survived in a Queen Charlotte glacial refugium, that chironomids can disperse very rapidly, even without active flight, or the existence of a previously undescribed Corynocera species with well-developed wings.

Elsewhere, fossils of the C. ambigua group are commonly associated with fossil oospores of Chara Valliant and Nitella Agardh. North American records are inconsistent, although similar correlations existed in some coastal lakes of British Columbia.

Grasshopper density and species composition were determined from 1982 to 1985 in four 75-ha pastures in the northern mixed prairie region near Miles City, MT. Treatment in two pastures consisted of sagebrush removal and interseeding alfalfa and cicer milkvetch. Two pastures were not treated. The treated pastures were grazed only half as long as the untreated pastures but with twice the number of steers. Forage yield decreased in all pastures from 1983 to 1985 because of below-average precipitation and grasshopper density increases. In one pasture, 10% of the legume seedlings were destroyed by grasshoppers. The annual rates of increase in total grasshopper presence were similar in treated and untreated pastures. However, Melanoplus sanguinipes (F.), which eats forbs and is a strong flyer, increased more in treated than untreated pastures; six additional abundant species, all of which were grass feeders, did not increase more in treated pastures. Thus, treatments did not markedly affect total grasshopper population trends but did influence species composition and provided additional food plants for some species.

The life history and ultrastructure of the protozoan Malameba locustae (King and Taylor) were studied in the migratory grasshopper Melanoplus sanguinipes (F.) using feeding and injection studies. Insects fed cysts developed infection in the Malpighian tubules 5–6 days later; no trophozoites were observed in haemolymph samples taken 2–20 days post-feeding. After excystment, a few trophozoites entered the midgut epithelium and many were located near the basement membrane of the epithelial cells, where they appeared to degenerate. Trophozoites were not seen to divide in the midgut epithelium, and apparently did not damage this tissue. Trophozoites injected directly into the haemocoel could not be recovered even 4 h after injection, and the Malpighian tubules did not become infected. It was concluded that trophozoites did not penetrate the midgut to enter the haemocoel or move through the haemocoel to infect the Malpighian tubules, but instead probably entered the tubules directly from the gut. Trophozoite ultrastructure in midgut and Malpighian tubules, and cyst wall deposition were described.

A sequential sampling program was designed for Coccinella septempunctata L. adults in wheat fields, based on a rapid visual counting method. This program takes into account the spatial heterogeneity of coccinellids and the efficiency of the counting method. The relationship between the mean and variance of the numbers sampled was described by Taylor’s power law.

A mathematical model was constructed to simulate the effect of intraspecific larval competition on the survival of Agromyza frontella (Rondani). It was shown that the probabilities of cannibalism and starvation can be expressed as functions of larval density and food availability (leaflet surface area), and that expected pupal weights can be determined from the amount of food available to the third-instar larva. Predictions were compared with data from laboratory experiments and field samples with excellent results.

The influence of various aspects of Malaise trap design on efficiency in collecting various groups of Hymenoptera was compared using commercially available traps. The influence of fine and coarse mesh sizes and the importance of the incorporation of pan traps into the design were evaluated in two sampling periods in an old dune community at Pinery Provincial Park in southern Ontario. Numbers of individuals collected in Malaise trap heads and pan traps were presented for each paired comparison of mesh size (fine and coarse) and location (top and bottom of a hill) for various families of Hymenoptera. A graphical analysis of the normalized catch data for more inclusive groupings, viz. Symphyta, Aculeata, Ichneumonoidea, and microhymenoptera, was presented. The major results of these comparisons were as follows: (1) pan traps were an important component of efficient Malaise traps, especially for Aculeata and microhymenoptera; (2) coarse mesh was more effective in collecting Aculeata; (3) coarse and fine mesh were both effective in collecting Ichneumonoidea; and (4) fine mesh was more effective in collecting microhymenoptera. There was an interaction effect between the type of trap used and groups collected and it was not possible to maximize simultaneously the collection of all groups of Hymenoptera. The use of various mesh types and a trap design that incorporates pan traps was recommended.

The oribatid mite genus Zachvatkinibates, found in both littoral and forest litter habitats in North America and the Soviet Union, is redefined. Its systematic relationship to other genera in the Mycobatidae is discussed. A new species, Z. tetrasklerosis, is proposed, and Z. maritimus Shaldybina, 1973, is redescribed. Immatures of both species are described; none was previously known for the genus. Sexual dimorphism is displayed in the notogastral porose areas of adults of Z. maritimus, but not of Z. tetrasklerosis.

Adults of nine species of thrips were collected from canola fields: Aeolothrips fasciatus (L.), Anaphothrips obscurus (Müller), Frankliniella occidentalis (Perg.), Frankliniella tritici (Fitch), Limothrips denticornis Haliday, Odontothrips loti (Haliday), Thrips nr. fuscipennis Haliday, Thrips tabaci Lindeman, and Thrips vulgatissimus Haliday. Of these, F. tritici was the most abundant in the collections and appears to have the greatest potential to be a significant canola pest, followed by T. tabaci and T. vulgatissimus.

Male spruce budworm moths, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.), were captured in 1986 and 1987 and the proportion recently mated was determined for each sample. Mating status was examined in relation to trap location, sampling method, sampling date, and adult emergence. On a given day the proportion of recently mated males captured was similar among pheromone-baited traps both within and among test sites. The number of males trapped increased with increasing trap elevation, although there was no difference in the proportion of mated males at each elevation. Males exhibiting “mate-location behaviour” were captured individually with an insect net and were found to be mated in the same proportion as those caught in pheromone-baited traps. The proportion of recently mated males trapped tended to increase during the early part of the flight season, to fluctuate during the middle portion, and then to decline toward the end of the season. This pattern was due, in part, to adult emergence trends.

The effect of abamectin on the leafminer, Liromyza trifolii (Burgess), was investigated using topical applications, leaf dips, and repellency bioassays. Topical application of technical material in acetone to susceptible adult females provides an LD50 value of 0.404 ppm. Leaf-dip assays using abamectin formulated in water with third-instar larvae gave an LC50 value of 0.386 ppm. These data provide baseline information on the toxicity of this material to L. trifolii and are important in the development of resistance management programs. Adult female leaf miners were repelled from feeding and ovipositing on chrysanthemum plants treated with formulated abamectin up to 7 days after foliar application in choice and no-choice assays. The implications of these data in managing populations of L. trifolii are discussed.