The species known in America as the European spruce sawfly has been shown to be one of two species which have been confused under the name Gilpinia polytoma (Hartig) (1). One is arrhenotokous and is known only from Europe, and the other is thelytokous and occurs in Europe and America. This paper seeks to establish the correct nomenclature and provide adequate descriptions of the two species.

We collected naturally infested Pinus resinosa Aiton (Pinaceae) and P. sylvestris Linnaeus to investigate phenological patterns and quantify parasitism by a suite of native hymenopteran parasitoids on two woodwasps (Hymenoptera: Siricidae): the invading non-native European woodwasp, Sirex noctilio Fabricius, and a co-colonising native, S. nigricornis Fabricius. We sampled a total of 76 trees from two field sites in 2010 and seven sites in 2011. In raw abundance, S. noctilio outnumbered S. nigricornis by 2:1 in 2010 and by 7.5:1 in 2011. We collected the egg/early instar parasitoid, Ibalia leucospoides ensiger Norton (Hymenoptera: Ibaliidae); four species of Rhyssinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) late larval parasitoids; and Pseudorhyssa nigricornis (Ratzeburg) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), a cleptoparasitoid of rhyssines. Variation in siricid and parasitoid species assemblage and abundance was explained primarily by site, with tree-level factors playing a secondary role. Parasitism was significantly lower in P. sylvestris (13.6%±4.1 SE), a naturalised pine from Europe, than in the native P. resinosa (28.5%±5.0). Total parasitism was 27.6%±5.0 in 2010 and 20.9%±4.7 in 2011. This study represents the most robust analysis of the diverse woodwasp and parasitoid assemblage infesting pines in North America.

A key is given for 37 species of Aphis L. in Manitoba. Three new species of Aphis are described, duckmountainensis, neomonardae, and whiteshellensis. Aphis monardae Oestlund is declared to be a synonym of A. gossypii Glover. Lectotype and paralectotypes are designated for A. rubicola Oestlund. Comments on taxonomy and biology are given for other species in the genus.

Predatory arthropods were sampled in high-maintenance Kentucky bluegrass lawns (lawns under commercial lawn care), low-maintenance Kentucky bluegrass lawns (under minimal care), and low-maintenance tall-fescue lawns. In general, tall fescue supported fewer predators than Kentucky bluegrass, specifically the families Erigon-idae, Linyphiidae, and Carabidae. Populations of Erigonidae, Linyphiidae, and Carabidae were lower in high-maintenance bluegrass than in low-maintenance bluegrass. The carabids Amara cupreolata Putzeys, Agonum punctiformum (Say), and Harpalus (Pseudopkonus) spp., and a staphylinid, Philonthus sp., were particularly uncommon in high-maintenance sites. Hierarchical classification of sites suggested that the structure of the staphylinid and carabid communities differs in tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass turf, and differs in high- and low-maintenance bluegrass.

Biological studies of tetranychid mites have been hampered by lack of suitable techniques for studying and handling the mites in the field and laboratory. Common entomological methods are not readily adaptable for studying these minute animals. During population studies of orchard mites in British Columbia, the authors devised some field and laboratory techniques for studying the lifehistories of the brown mite, Bryobia arborea Morgan and Anderson, the clover mite, B. praetiosa Koch, and the European red mite, Metatetranychus ulmi (Koch).

Ascosphaera apis (Maassen ex Claussen) Olive & Spiltoir, the causal organism of chalkbrood disease in honey bees, has now spread to eastern Canada. Scanning electron and phase contrast microscopy showed that A. apis may be differentiated from A. major, with which it has been confused, by the surface structure of spore balls and by differences in the size of nutriocysts and spores. A. major does not occur in North America.

Internal parasites belonging to the genus Scelio Latr. have been reported found in grasshopper eggs in several of the northern states of the United States. Muesebeck and Walkley (1951, p. 702) reported S. calopteni Riley in Melanoplus spp., including M. mexicanus mexicanus (Sauss.) and M. bivittatus (Say), in states adjacent to thc Prairie Provinces of Canada. In Canada, Criddle (1921) reported Scelio sp(p). in Manitoba during a grasshopper outbreak which took place about 1920. Since then, the presence of Scelio sp(p). in grasshopper eggs has frequently been noted in the Prairie Provinces by entomologists. Studies of the viability, embryonic development, and parasitism of Western Canadian grasshopper eggs begun and largely carried out by the late Mr. H. W. Moore at the Field Crop Insect laboratories at Brandon and Saskatoon have made possible an approach to the quantitative evaluation of these parasites.

Methoprene, when incorporated into the food of laying hens at concentrations of 0.005 and 0.01%, produced 70.9 and 99.3% larval mortality, respectively, among house flies (Musca domestica L.) reared in the resultant poultry droppings. Exposure to the treated diet did not produce any weight loss in the chickens. However, it was not effective when the poultry droppings were treated topically under field conditions. In laboratory studies, when incorporated with moistened droppings, concentrations of 0.001 and 0.0001% produced complete larval mortality throughout a 7-day exposure period, though only 98% mortality was achieved on the first day at the higher concentration. Concentrations of 0.5 and 1.08 of the compound in fly food produced only a low order of sterility. Topical applications produced a low order of sterility except in the insecticide-susceptible females.

Ixodes (Pholeoixodes) gregsoni sp.nov. is described from adult females, nymphs, and larvae collected from the boreal forests of eastern Canada on American mink, Mustela vison Schreber, a species of weasel, Mustela sp., and American marten, Martes americana (Turton) (Carnivora: Mustelidae). Its morphological attributes, hosts, and distribution are compared with those of apparently its most closely related species, Ixodes (Pholeoixodes) texanus Banks.

The taxonomic framework of the lepidopterous family Sphingidae established by Rothschild and Jordan (1903) contains many anomalies. Indeed, it has been suggested that as the taxonomic lines run across both larval and host-plant groupings, the family should be totally rearranged. In this paper the host plants of the Semanophorinae (one subfamily of the Sphingidae) are examined and discussed. On the basis of host plants, five groups of sphingids, which appear to be taxonomic entities, are distinguished. The identification of the host-plant groups is also a preliminary to the use of Celerio euphorbiae (L.) for the biological control of weedy Euphorbia spp. in Canada.

A 3-year faunal survey of insecticide-free potato fields revealed that Carabidae were the most abundant ground arthropods followed by Arachnida and Staphylinidae. Generic and species composition of Carabidae did not vary substantially from year to year but abundance did. The arthropods were distributed along a gradient decreasing with distance from the edge of the field closest to the woodland. Results of yellow pan trappings indicated that all types of Carabidae present in the pitfalls could fly but that flight activity was variable among genera. More than 50% of Staphylinidae and 85% of the Carabidae were trapped in the yellow pans at the time of field colonization in June. The significance of these findings in relation to the potential of the arthropods for natural biological control of potato pests is discussed.

Breeding experiments and rearing under variable controlled conditions have revealed that western and 2-year-cycle spruce budworms (Choristoneura occidentalis Freeman and C. biennis Freeman, respectively) from British Columbia, Canada, and their hybrid progeny have the inherent capacity for a variable number of diapause events and hence voltinism. While all crosses have at least one diapause, variability in the relative frequency of a second diapause is determined by genetic traits modified by the photoperiod and, to a lesser extent, temperature experienced during the larval stages. Second diapause appears fixed in C. biennis but is facultative and most frequent at short photophases (12L:12D) in C. occidentalis. Hybrids and backcrosses had responses intermediate to the parental responses under all environmental conditions. The occurrence of a facultative third diapause in all crosses underlines the inherent capacity for flexibility in voltinism in these species. These results are discussed in the context of past, present, and future distributions of alternative life cycles in closely related species.

A thermal summation model based on heat units above 9°C accurately predicted peak hatch of eggs, an event critical to management of the alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica (Gyll.), in southern Ontario. The model also gave accurate predictions for maximum numbers of the larval and pupal stages, as well as other significant events such as cocooning and adult emergence.

Catches of male clover cutworm moths with Z-11-hexadecen-1-yl acetate containing 10.8 to 25.0% Z-11-hexadecen-1-ol decreased linearly as the percentage of alcohol increased. The largest catches were with the acetate containing 10.8% alcohol, and at a concentration of 5 mg/rubber carrier. This bait was effective in the field for at least 4 weeks Catches of moths with the attractant on polyethylene carriers were independent of the attractant concentrations, and were significantly less (P < 0.01) than with the same attractant concentrations on rubber carriers.

Traps baited with the sex pheromone of the bertha army worm moth, Mamestra configurata (Walker), were operated at 36 sites across the prairie provinces in 1976 and 1977. They captured ca. 15 times as many bertha moths as did light traps and were considered to constitute a useful method for detection of adults of this species.

Under laboratory conditions, Corticeus glaber (LeConte) and C. parallelus (Melsheimer) adults were facultative predators of southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann, eggs and first and second instar larvae. Southern pine beetle frass and blue stain fungus, Ceratocystis minor (Hedgecock) Hunt were also suitable for survival for both species of Corticeus. Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) phloem was not utilized as a food source by either species. Corticeus spp. larvae were predators of D. frontalis eggs.

Lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait., V. myrtilloides Michx.) growers often use colonies of the European honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) to supplement native bee populations for pollination. Native bee fauna is thought to be insufficient in number and too unpredictable, in terms of numbers, from year to year to be relied on for adequate crop pollination (Kevan and LaBerge 1978; Mackenzie and Winston 1984; Mohr and Kevan 1987; Kevan 1988; Eck 1988).

Cabbage and related crops are attacked every year throughout Ontario by caterpillars of three species, namely, the imported cabbageworm, Pieris rapae (L.), the diamondback moth, Plutella maculipennis (Curt.), and the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Hbn.). The imported cabbageworm is generally regarded as the most abundant of the three species and is reported as doing damage of considerable economic importance each year. The cabbage looper does not occur in large numbers until late in the season, but in most years it is believed to be second only in importance to the imported cabbageworm. The diamondback moth is generally considered to be much less important than the other two species (Caesar, 19i8). As previously reported (Matthewman et al., 1952), these beliefs were not borne our by observations of field populations at Ottawa in 1950. Whereas populations of the cabbage looper were strikingly low, those of the diamondback moth were much higher than the literature indicated. This paper is a summary of four seasons' experiments, 1951-1954, undertaken to assess the abundance and relative importance of the three species in eastern Ontario.