To this family belong the potter wasps. They differ from the papermaking wasps in being solitary and in constructing their nests of mud or clay, instead of macerated woody fibre or pulp. It is perhaps one of the largest, if not the largest, families in the Vespidea, and is well represented in all parts of the world by many genera and species.

The species superficially resemble the Vespidæ, but are quite distinct and are easily distinguished by the cleft or toothed claws, the claws never being simple or edentate as in the social wasps.

The family, like the Vespidæ, has reached its greatest development in warm or tropical countries.

Medetera Fischer von Waldheim is the most speciose genus in the Medeterinae, with a nearly ubiquitous global distribution. Phylogenetic relationships within Medetera and between Medetera and four other medeterine genera were investigated using mitochondrial (COI, 16S) and nuclear (18S) markers to test morphological hypotheses. Our results confirm most of Bickel's hypotheses. Thrypticus Gerstäcker shows a sister-group relationship with Medetera + Dolichophorus Lichtwardt. The Medetera species included here split into two clades. One clade corresponds to the M. diadema L. – veles Loew species group sensu Bickel. The second clade is largely composed of the M. apicalis (Zetterstedt) species group sensu Bickel and the M. aberrans Wheeler species group sensu Bickel + Dolichophorus. Although most Medeterinae are associated with plants (mainly trees), species in at least two separate lineages demonstrate a secondary return to terrestrial habitats. The implication of this evolutionary phenomenon is briefly discussed.

Aphids were sampled in commercial blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum L. (Ericaceae), fields in southwestern British Columbia, Canada, from 2001 through 2003. Ericaphis fimbriata (Richards), the dominant aphid, overwintered as eggs on blueberry and emerged in late February and March during bud break. Apterous adult fundatrices were found during April. The fundatrices produced both alate and apterous virginoparae. There was a positive curvilinear relationship between production of alatae and aphid density on flower clusters, but not on leaf terminals. Peak densities in late June or early July varied from 300 to 9000 aphids per plant in different fields, suggesting that there may be considerable variation in Blueberry scorch virus transmission rates among fields infected with the virus. Production of alate virginoparae (percentage of all fourth-instar aphids with wing pads) declined from May through August. Sexual morphs were produced in late September and October. The efficacy of postbloom insecticide applications in June, by growers, was variable. Experimental trials showed that dormant oil is not effective in preventing aphid emergence. Aphids on blueberry should be controlled before bloom, before alatae are produced and large populations occur, but the efficacy of this approach in reducing virus transmission needs to be tested.

Group VII of North American Ips contains I. thomasi, new species, I. borealis Swaine and I. swainei R. Hopping. They are less than 4.0 mm. long and females have the front of the head or at least the vertex smooth and shining, impunctate, or with very fine sparse punctures; males are more coarsely granulate-punctate on the frons. The species are described and a key is given. All breed in Picea in Canada and northern United States.

The external anatomy of the larvae and pupae of a number of species of the genus Dendroctonus was studied to determine its value in the classification of the genus. It was found that the larval and pupal characters supported the synonomy proposed in a revision of the genus based on imaginal characters recently published by another worker.

Stability (temporal variability, persistence, resilience) was assessed over 8–13 years for subpopulations, populations, and regional populations of Uroleucon rudbeckiae (Fitch) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in southern Manitoba, Canada. Contrary to expectations, natural populations of this native aphid were not more stable than those of aphids inhabiting crops. Among population parameters, prevalence (proportion of plants infested) proved more effective for quantifying temporal variability than intensity (colony size) or abundance (number of aphids per stem). The parameter “population variability” was a more effective index of temporal variability than the standard deviation of the logarithm or the coefficient of variation. Small differences in temporal variability were detected among populations that varied greatly in size. Population variability declined slightly as spatial scale increased and did not increase consistently over time. Population variability can be considered characteristic of this species in southern Manitoba, having a value of 0.648 ± 0.080 (mean ± standard deviation, n = 5, over 8–13 years) on a scale of 0–1, a high degree of temporal variability. Persistence was not related to temporal variability. Subpopulations were less persistent than populations, and one of five populations did not persist. Small populations were more likely to disappear temporarily. No resilience was detected.

The seasonal phenology of the walnut husk fly (WHF), Rhagoletis completa Cresson, was studied in the Willamette Valley of Oregon during a 4-year period (1990–1993). Adult emergence observed in ground emergence cages varied greatly among years. Initial emergence ranged from 29 June to 17 July, and last emergence occurred as early as 17 August or as late as 11 September. The period of adult emergence was constant from year to year (mean 55, range 50–60 days) with the peak between the 3rd week of July and the 1st week of August. The period between first observed appearance of females in ground-level emergence cages and the first oviposition was consistent among the study years, ranging from 20 to 23 days. Peak oviposition occurred in the 2nd and 3rd weeks of August. Mean egg hatch and larval survival were 98 and 80%, respectively. Infestations reached over 95% in unsprayed trees by early to mid September. Mature larvae first exited from husks beginning the 4th week of August and continued through mid October. Larvae penetrated the soil and pupated at a depth of 2.5–7.6 cm with most within the top 2.5 cm of soil.

The northern subarctic region is the limit of the distribution of Drosophilidae (Toda 1984); the family is of tropical origin (Throckmorton 1975). Hence, a drosophilid community inhabiting the northernmost subarctic region is likely to have a relatively simple community structure. This note presents information on the habitat preferences of a drosophilid community at Inuvik (68°22′ N, 133°45′ W) in the Mackenzie delta, Northwest Territories, Canada.

Entomophagous insects as a group show all degrees of host preferences from the polyphagous species which develop on variable numbers of hosts to the stricdy monophagous forms wllich are limited to development on a single host species. Polyphagy is generally regarded as the more primitive condition while the fact that even amnng species so characterized there frequentIy exist strong preferences in the form of host determined races is taken as an indication of one method by which the more specialized habit was attained. The general problem of the dynamics of host selection in the entomophagous Hymenoptera and Diptera has attracted the attention of numerous investigators (eg. Thompson & Parker 1927, Salt 1935, Ullyett 1936) and many have stressed that for any given parasite the range of hosts attacked and developed on is the end result of various processes. These processes have been conveniently described by Salt (1938) as host finding, selection, and suitability, the first phase being more usually referred to as habitat selection (Flanders 1937, Thorpe 1945). This interpretation has received wide acceptance among biological control and allied workers.

Scanning electron micrographs of balsam wooly aphid, Adelges piceae Ratz., show ribbon-like wax secretion in the dorso-median, marginal, and inter-tergal regions. Longitudinal grooves in the ribbons indicate that secretions from a row of cells fuse together to form bands of wax. Most of the ribbons appear as extensions of the tergal sclerites. Post-notal plates are conspicuous in the dormant first instar, and in the adults characteristic wax plates with crater-like pits are evident. The chemistry of wax in related species and a rationale for control using juvenile hormone analogs are discussed.

Commercial Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (B.t.k.) (Dipel 132® and Thuricide 48 LV®) were bioassayed at 20 and 25°C against 3rd- (L3), 4th- (L4), 5th- (L5), and 6th- (L6) instar larvae of the bertha armyworm, Mamestra configurata Walker, on greenhouse-grown canola, Brassica napus L. cv. Westar. The L4 was the most susceptible stage to B.t.k. but it was much less susceptible than the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.), a species against which this bacterium is currently used. The lethal time of B.t.k. to the larvae was inversely related to dosage applied. Younger instars (L3 to L4) were more sensitive to Dipel than older instars (L5 to L6) at 20°C but the reverse was true for Thuricide-treated larvae. All B.t.k. treatments reduced weight gain and frass deposition (by inference feeding activity) compared with untreated controls. The LC50 concentration of B.t.k. for larvae reduced survival to adult emergence by 87–100%.

Laboratory studies showed that elm leaf beetle, Pyrrhalta luteola (Müller), larvae and pupae were susceptible to the nematode Neoaplectana carpocapsae Weiser; adults were less likely to be infected because of their dispersal ability. Spruce budworm, Choristoneura occidentalis Freeman, larvae were susceptible to the nematode in the laboratory. Field application of the nematode in 2% aqueous Volck oil suspension against elm leaf beetle or spruce budworm larvae did not significantly reduce the populations when compared with controls. Desiccation of the infective nematodes may be a factor in the variable results for elm leaf beetle, and cool temperatures and rain may have been factors in the poor results for spruce budworm. However, significant population reduction occurred in nematode treatments against elm leaf beetle pupae in litter. This nematode may be used against beetle pupae in conjunction with other control tactics.

Growth, development, and survival were investigated for the larvae of the red turnip beetle, Entomoscelis americana Brown, fed excised cotyledons or first true leaves of four cultivars of Brassica campestris L. (Torch, Echo, Candle, and R500) or three cultivars of B. napus L. (Midas, Target, and Tower) in the laboratory. The red turnip beetle has four larval instars and its growth curve is S-shaped. The seven cultivars of B. campestris and B. napus tested were suitable host plants for the larvae. On all the cultivars, survival was relatively high, the weights and developmental times were similar, and the percentage of malformed adults was low. In B. campestris and B. napus, the cotyledon stage was marginally better than the first true leaf stage as food for the larvae. Survival usually was higher and in one of the three experiments the adults at emergence were heavier on the cotyledons than on the first true leaves. However, the developmental times were similar, except in one of the three experiments where they were longer on the cotyledons, and the incidence of malformed adults was low on both stages of plant growth.

Tests of intertrap variability in catches of moths of the clover cutworm, Scotogramma trifolii (Rottenberg), were conducted by placing two traps baited with an artifical sex attractant at 1 mi (1.6 km) intervals to form a grid covering 25 mi2 (64 km2) near Domain, Manitoba. The 50 traps (2/location) placed near the intersects of the grid were baited with a blend of Z-11-hexadecen-1-yl acetate and Z-11-hexadecen-1-ol. This blend was 98.6% species-specific for S. trifolii. Moth catches varied between traps and flights, but the ranking of the traps by catch was consistent during any given flight period. Up to 35 traps would be required within an area of 64 km2 (1 trap/1.8 km2) to give a population estimate within 20% of the true mean. Temperature influenced both the initiation of the flights and the number of moths caught at any given time, but there were no correlations between flights and precipitation or wind. Crop type influenced catches of S. trifolii only when moth populations were large. The catch of second generation moths averaged 9.8× the catch of first generation moths. The consistency of this relationship indicates that the annual differences in population density are controlled by variations in winter survival. The latter was linked to the induction of diapause which is governed by daylength during the larval development of the second generation.

Two principal pests of apple and peach trees in southwestern Ontario are the European red mite, Panonychus ulmi (Koch), and the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus telarius (L.). Usually only P. ulmi is present on the trees in large numbers during the spring and early summer, at which time T. telarius lives predominantly on the ground cover. In August, many T. telarius move from the ground cover to the trees, and large numbers of both species may then be present. In mite control investigations in an apple orchard at the Harrow Research Station, T. telarius moved onto the trees, especially in the central plots, regardless of the acaricides previously applied or the numbers of P. ulmi that were or had been present. This phenomenon posed the question of whether the residual effects of acaricides applied to the trees were mainly responsible for the size of P. ulmi populations in the central plots, or whether competition resulting from the ingress of T. telarius was partially responsible.

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

The paraphyletic grouping “Symphyta” (8353 described species) represents the basal lineages of the insect order Hymenoptera. The most species-rich superfamily in Symphyta is Tenthredinoidea (7390 species), with six extant families. Most of tenthredinoids species are phytophagous at the larval stage, and the species using angiosperms as a host are more numerous (6265 species) than those using gymnosperms (140 species) or pteridophytes (985 species). In this study, we investigated whether diversification of Tenthredinoidea could be attributed to their use of angiosperms as hosts by examining host plant usage by lineage. We performed molecular phylogenetic and divergence time estimation analyses using molecular data (~2 kilobase sequence in five DNA regions) and conducted a diversification analysis. Our results suggest that Tenthredinoidea (excluding Blasticotomidae) had used angiosperms since its origin; the phylogeny of Tenthredinoidea showed a significant shift in diversification at two nodes, and those nodes overlap with the periods of origin and diversification of angiosperms.

Specimens of five species of woodpeckers (Piciformes: Picidae) from Manitoba, Canada, were weighed and examined for chewing lice, 1998–2015: downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens (Linnaeus), n=49), hairy woodpecker (Picoides villosus (Linnaeus), n=23), pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus (Linnaeus), n=10), northern flicker (Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus), n=170), and yellow-bellied sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius (Linnaeus), n=239). The relationship between body mass of each host species and infestation by seven species of lice was analysed: Menacanthus pici (Denny) from all host species, Brueelia straminea (Denny) from Picoides Lacépède species, Penenirmus jungens (Kellogg) from northern flicker, Penenirmus auritus (Scopoli) from the other four hosts, Picicola porisma Dalgleish from northern flicker, Picicola snodgrassi (Kellogg) from Picoides species, and Picicola marginatulus (Harrison) from pileated woodpeckers. Mean abundance of lice increased with the mean mass of their host. Neither the species richness of lice nor the prevalence of lice were related to host body mass. Host body mass explained 98% of the variation in mean intensity of louse infestation among hosts. The positive association of mean intensity and body size was also detected for three genera of lice. Louse intensity also increased with body size for individual birds, more so for some species of lice and hosts than others. Body size matters, but the adaptations that allow higher mean intensity on larger host species remain to be determined.

Coneworms of the genus Dioryctria Zeller are important lepidopterous pests of conifer cones throughout the Holarctic region. Seventy-nine Dioryctria species are currently recognized and arranged into 11 species groups, but a globally unified classification of these species groups has not been attained. We surveyed 14 Dioryctria species belonging to 7 species groups recognized as being taxonomically problematic. Mitochondrial DNA sequences and morphological characters were used to resolve relationships among and within species groups and species. Sequences were obtained for 2.3 kb of the mitochondrial COI + COII genes and related to 52 morphological characters. Parsimony analyses of separate and combined data showed that (i) the five included Chinese species (D. abietella (Denis and Schiffermüller), D. rubella Hampson, D. nr. rubella, D. magnifica Munroe, and D. yiai Mutuura and Munroe) were distinct from the North American taxa, and their relationships were interspersed among Nearctic and European species; (ii) three of the four species groups represented by more than one species formed robust, well-supported clades (abietella group, sylvestrella group, and zimmermani group) for both mtDNA sequences and morphology; (iii) mtDNA and morphology gave conflicting interspecific and intergroup relationships for the auranticella, schuetzeella, ponderosae, and baumhoferi groups; (iv) all eight species for which more than one specimen was sampled were characterized by discrete clusters of mitochondrial DNA haplotypes, and mtDNA divergences among species in the same species group were generally less than those among species in different species groups; and (v) combining mtDNA data with morphological data increased support for most nodes in the phylogeny, with morphological characters providing support for species groups and mtDNA being essential for distinguishing species within species groups. This study demonstrates the value of a combined analysis of both mtDNA and morphological characters and establishes a phylogenetic framework for broader and more comprehensive studies of Dioryctria species.

The efficacy of pitfall traps baited with pheromone and cereal oil in capturing Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val and T. castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) was low (trap catch) in mill and simulated warehouse settings. In a simulated warehouse experiment, strains of Tribolium Macleay recently taken from mills were caught 24% less often in traps than were laboratory strains, and T. confusum was caught 40% less often than T. castaneum. Both species were found together in all flour samples taken from a Canadian flour mill. A comparison of the species ratio in flour samples with that found in traps revealed that T. confusum was caught less often in traps than was T. castaneum. In flour, T. castaneum burrowed more than did T. confusum, and there were differences in burrowing behaviour between the four T. castaneum strains. Mills infested with T. confusum may have higher levels of infestation than was previously thought, indicating that further research into beetle behaviour in mills is needed.