We examined the successional community of insect fauna on exposed carrion in shade and sun in the Boreal Forest Region of Canada, near Edmonton, Alberta, over a 3-year period. This paper focuses on results obtained in the final year of study. Recently killed pigs (Sus domesticus L.) were clothed and placed in direct sunlight or shade on 18 and 20 May 1999. There was no difference in start time or duration of decomposition stages between the two habitats. Species abundance differed between the sun and shade habitats for Protophormia terraenovae (Robineau-desvoidy) larvae (Diptera: Calliphoridae), Necrobia sp. adults (Coleoptera: Cleridae), Catops basilaris Say adults (Coleoptera: Leiodidae), Onthophagus nuchicornis (L.) adults (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), Heterosilpha ramosa (Say) adults and larvae (Coleoptera: Silphidae), Creophilus maxillosus (L.) adults (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), and Ontholestes cingulatus (Gravenhorst) adults and larvae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae). The orders Diptera and Coleoptera were important components of all communities and had the greatest diversity at both the family and the species level throughout succession. Overall species abundance within families was greater in the sun habitat than in the shade. Similar species dominated the sun and shade carcasses during early succession, but dominance was not clearly evident later in succession.

Field collections of over-wintering and summer adults and nymphs of Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) (Hemiptera: Miridae), Lygus borealis (Kelton), and Lygus elisus Van Duzee were made weekly in five fields in Saskatchewan in 1998 and 1999. The crops sampled were alfalfa, Medicago sativa L. (Leguminosae), canola, Brassica napus L. (Cruciferae), and mustard, Sinapis alba L. (Cruciferae), at Vonda, and alfalfa and canola at Saskatoon. In alfalfa, the most abundant Lygus spp. found in May and June were over-wintering adult L. lineolaris and (or) L. borealis; the predominant species in mid-June to early July was L. borealis; and the population from mid-July to late August was dominated by L. lineolaris. In canola, adult populations of Lygus spp. were not found until mid-June. The predominant species, L. lineolaris, probably over-wintering adults, was first detected in canola at the early bud stage in late June to early July; high numbers of L. lineolaris adults occurred in canola in mid-August. Populations of Lygus spp. in organic mustard were negligible. Dissections of field-collected Lygus spp. nymphs revealed parasitism in up to 70% of the midsummer population in alfalfa. In contrast, less than 1% of the late-season Lygus spp. population, primarily L. lineolaris in canola and L. lineolaris and L. borealis in alfalfa, was parasitized.

Observations by other authors showing that T. interruptor attacks more host larvae that had been previously parasitized by O. obscurator than unparasitized hosts were confirmed in the present study. Preference for buds previously visited by females of O. obscurator, as compared to unvisited buds, was demonstrated. Preliminary experiments to determine the factors involved in this preference and their implication are reported. These studies indicate that the policy of importing and releasing T. interruptor in North America to assist in the control of R. buoliana was unwise.

The western tent caterpillar, Malacosoma californicum pluviale (Dyar) was treated externally with farnesyl methyl ether and the crude ether extracts of two forest trees, Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) and Douglas-Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). Within 24 hr of the intervening molts, late fourth- and early fifth-instar larvae weighing 178 mg received 55 μg, and late fifth-instar larvae and new pupae weighing 450 mg received 140 μg in 0.6 μl of acetone. Controls received only acetone.Treated groups suffered increased mortality due to structural abnormalities, molting difficulties, and increased infection with polyhedral virus and microsporidia. Many surviving adults also were structurally abnormal, and the proportion of females depositing normal egg masses was reduced. The progeny were less viable than those of the controls. Reductions in the viability of progeny were only slightly affected by time of treatment, but egg-laying behavior was more affected by later than by earlier treatments.All materials produced examples of juvenility, but many of the abnormal individuals produced by cedar treatment died early in the pupal stage, whereas those induced by the other treatments lived longer. In most instances, samples were too small to indicate statistical superiority of any one material but, as received, the cedar extract seemed more potent than the fir. Farnesyl methyl ether had the greatest influence on reproductive capacity.

A systemic tree injection tube was designed to introduce the required volumes of neem-based bioinsecticides into conifer trees. The device consists of plastic tubing attached with hose clamps to a maple sap spile at one end and a tubeless automobile tire valve at the other end. A hole is drilled in the tree, the spile is hammered into the hole, the device is filled with the systemic insecticide, and the system is pressurized by attaching a bicycle pump to the tire valve. The parts are readily available, the device is simple to construct and easy and quick to install on a tree, application volumes are adjustable, and the device is reusable. This device has been used successfully to inject 188 trees representing four conifer species in either spring or fall, primarily with neem formulations but also with dimethoate, imidacloprid, and acephate. In most cases, all of the material was injected into the trees without leakage, although neem formulations were characteristically slow to enter the trees and certain neem formulations were not injected completely at volumes above 15 mL per injection tube. Dosages of 0.2 g azadirachtin/cm of diameter at breast height (dbh) or less provided control of pine false webworm, spruce budworm, cedar leafminers, gypsy moth, and introduced pine sawfly on red pine, white spruce, eastern white cedar, white pine, and white pine, respectively. Dosages as low as 0.005 g active ingredient/cm of dbh applied with injection tubes in either one or two holes per tree resulted in a 95% reduction in defoliation of mature (mean dbh ± SD = 23.4 ± 3.3 cm) red pine caused by pine false webworm.

Caged assays and field tests were used to evaluate the effectiveness of organophosphorus, pyrethroid, neonicotinoid, and biologically derived insecticides for reducing populations of the cabbage seedpod weevil, Ceutorhynchus obstrictus (Marsham), a new pest of canola in Canada. Complete mortality of caged weevils occurred 48 h after treatment with disulfoton, deltamethrin, carbofuran, oxydemeton-methyl, and chlorpyrifos. Under field conditions, using plots or large strips in commercial fields from 1998 to 2001, only deltamethrin and cyhalothrin-lambda (both pyrethroids) consistently reduced weevil densities, even at high population levels. Chlorpyrifos also significantly reduced weevil numbers and damage in some years, but results were variable and efficacy was too low to manage weevils under outbreak densities. Other insecticides such as spinosad provided moderate weevil control and may have a role in weevil management depending on their effect on beneficial insects relative to more efficacious insecticides. Treatment of canola seed with imidacloprid, lindane, or acetamiprid did not reduce weevil damage. Further research is needed to establish economic thresholds for C. obstrictus in canola, to assess the effect of insecticides on nontarget natural enemies of canola insect pests, and to assess the potential for integration of chemical agents with biological and cultural control strategies.

Female budworm flight activity was monitored automatically at seven constant temperatures ranging from 10° to 25°C. Flight activity was negligible below 17.5°C, but considerable oviposition occurred as low as 15°C. It is therefore possible that during cool weather the number of insects dispersing is reduced, with the result that a larger proportion of the eggs are laid in the stand of origin.

A total of 6995 summer generation Ips confusus (LeConte) adults was reared from logs of Pinus ponderosa Laws. under laboratory conditions. Emerging adults were collected every two hours throughout the day and their sex determined. Females predominated for the first eight days but the sex ratio at the end of 40 days was 1.18 ♀, ♀: 1 ♂. High differential loss of males before reproduction is discussed. From logs attacked in the spring 62.0% of the parent adults re-emerged. Large numbers of such parents capable of reproduction could greatly increase the severity of an infestation. Spring brood emergence totaled 67.64 beetles per sq. ft. of bark surface, while summer brood emergences from two different areas were 54.50 and 33.37 beetles per sq. ft. Above 72° F., peak male emergence occurs at the 10:00 a.m. or noon collection. Females exhibit a lesser peak in mid to late morning and a major peak in mid to late afternoon, but at temperatures below 72° F. a unimodal female emergence curve becomes apparent.

Twenty Nearctic species of Myllaena are recognized. All are redescribed or newly described and illustrated. A key for their identification, and maps of their distribution are provided. The species are arranged into four groups: the Cuneata, Insomnis, Potawatomi, and Seminole. Seven species are described as new: hopi (Arizona, Mexico), hopkinton (Massachusetts), kaskaskia (eastern U.S.A.), magnolia (Florida), potawatomi (transcontinental, also in Haiti and Jamaica), serrano (California, Baja California of Mexico), and seminole (southern U.S.A. and Illinois). Newly established synonymies are (the second name of each pair being valid): abdita Casey, 1911 = audax Casey, 1911; brevivestis Casey, 1911 = ludificans Casey, 1911; dissimulons Casey, 1911 = audax Casey, 1911; immunda Casey, 1911 = arcana Casey, 1911; molesta Casey, 1911 = audax Casey, 1911; obscurata Casey, 1911 = insipiens Casey, 1911; scobinella Casey, 1911 = decréta Casey, 1911; umbra Casey, 1911 = decreta Casey, 1911; and vegeta Casey, 1911 = audax Casey, 1911.

Fourteen lectotypes are designated. A checklist of Nearctic species is added. The systematics, phylogeny, and zoogeography of the genus and' species are discussed.

There are two generations of Coccinella novemnotata Herbst per year in central California. The adults of the spring generation aestivate and those of the fall generation hibernate. A field study of the physical and biological factors possibly influencing induction of diapause in the adult was conducted. All stages of the spring generation arc subject to a regime of long, increasing photoperiods and increasing mean temperatures, while all stages of the fall generation are subject to a regime of short, decreasing photoperiods and decreasing mean temperatures. In non-irrigated areas with native vegetation the reproductive cycle of this species is synchronized with the availability of prey species. In irrigated agricultural areas prey species are relatively abundant throughout the summer but the adults of the spring generation still aestivate. It is hypothesized that diapause is induced in the adult by both short and long photoperiods and that intermediate photoperiods are required for reproduction.

The biology of C. novemnotata is described briefly with emphasis on the aggregational behavior of the adult.

Two manners in which parasitic Hymenoptera gather reproductive proteins are described. Hydropic species gather all protein necessary for reproduction as larvae. Only 5–10% of the material necessary to form a viable first instar larva is put into each egg; the remainder is gathered by the egg within the host. Egg storage is in the lateral oviducts, handling times are short and egg production is independent of host density. Three Bathyplectes spp. are examples of hydropic parasitoids. Anhydropic species gather some or all protein as adults, often by host feeding. All the material necessary for the formation of a viable first instar larva is stored within the egg. The eggs are held in the ovary until laid. Handling times are longer and continued egg production is dependent upon host density. Tetrastichus incertus (Ratzeburg) is an anhydropic parasitoid.

Hydropic parasitoids appear best suited for biological control efforts in ephemeral situations (i.e. cotton or alfalfa). Anhydropic parasitoids appear best suited for biological control efforts in stable situations (i.e. citrus or walnuts).

Overwintering eggs of Porthetria dispar increase their capacity to supercool during exposure to non-lethal conditioning temperatures. Measurements of supercooling points of eggs collected in Quebec and Massachusetts indicate that the gradual movement of the insect north and west from the initial point of introduction into North America has not been accompanied by natural selection for a more cold-hardy population. The protection afforded eggs by cold-hardening is, however, greatly enhanced by the placement of egg masses, typically at or near ground level, where they are subject to maximum insulation by snow cover.

Examination of climatic regimes within the current area of distribution of the gypsy moth in Eurasia indicates that temperature may not be a key factor limiting its northward spread. In central Canada, in the presence of abundant snow cover, the insect may spread as far north as suitable food plants exist. This would favour extension of the range of the gypsy moth throughout the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Forest Region and much of the Boreal Forest Region of Ontario and Quebec south of James Bay.

Mites, insects, and storage fungi usually infest grain that has been stored for several years. Since mites and most storage fungi are usually considered of secondary importance to insects, few comprehensive studies have been made on their occurrence in grain stored in the Prairie Provinces. Although difficult to see because of their microscopic size, the presence of mites and fungi in stored grain often leads to a decrease in grain quality. Thus, information on their occurrence in stored grain together with data on the damage attributed to them would be useful in assessing their economic significance.

An insect emergence trap for quantitative studies in shallow ponds is described and figured. Details of its operation are given.

Three major lineages of mites (Arachnida: Acari) are parasitic in the nasal passages of birds: Rhinonyssidae (Mesostigmata), Ereynetidae (Prostigmata), Cytoditidae, and Turbinoptidae (Astigmata). The most diverse group of avian nasal mites is the Rhinonyssidae, which are obligate endoparasites of non-ratite birds worldwide. Prior to this study, there were only four published and three unpublished records of nasal mites from birds in Canada. In Alberta, 15% of 450 birds (154 species) examined during 2003–2007 were infested with nasal mites; in Manitoba, 16% of 2447 birds (196 species) examined during 1996–2006 were infested. We have expanded the known records of host – nasal mite species in Canada from 7 to 102, a 14-fold increase. There are now 50 species of Rhinonyssidae, 7 species of Ereynetidae, and 1 species of Turbinoptidae known from birds in Alberta and Manitoba. We predict that at least 70 species of rhinonyssid mites can be found in Canada.

After feeding, gypsy moth larvae construct a silk mat (resting mat) on which they remain. Prior to molting, this mat is reinforced, or a new, dense mat is constructed (molting mat). Late in the last larval instar, a sparse cocoon is constructed. When larvae are starved, a shift in behavior is noted, with increased locomotion, irritability, and the trailing of a strand of silk as larvae wander. First-instar larvae, quiescent and anchored on resting mats, are not readily induced to spin down on silk threads; hence are not readily dispersed by wind. Hungry first-instar larvae, more apt to be spinning down, are presumed to be more readily dispersed by wind. Larvae which undergo an additional instar have a longer prefeeding phase and might be more readily dispersed than "normal' larvae. The effects of hunger may also cause the shift in diel periodicity of mid- and late-instar larvae, resulting in some dispersal of these larvae away from areas where food will be depleted.

We compared the insect and arachnid species found in spring and summer samples of necrotic tissue of three species of columnar cacti, cardón [Pachycereus pringlei (S. Watson) Britten and Rose], organ-pipe (Stenocereus thurberi Buxb.), and senita [Lophocereus schottii (Engelm.) Britten and Rose] (all Cactaceae), endemic to the Sonoran Desert of North America. A total of 9380 arthropods belonging to 34 species, 23 families, 10 orders, and 2 classes were collected in 36 samples. Arthropod communities differed in composition among host cacti, as well as between seasons. These differences may be a function of variation in host characteristics, such as chemical composition and abiotic factors, such as water content or temperature.

A method of mounting Diptera, Lepidoptera and other insects preserved in alcohol is described.

Pseudodiamesa arctica (Mall.), Heterotrissocladius subpilosus (Kieff.), Orthocladius (s.s.) lapponicus Goetgh., Orthocladius (s.s.) sp., Paracladius quadrinodosus Hirv., Trissocladius tricornis n. sp., and Lauterbornia sedna n. sp. develop from egg to pharate adult in Char Lake. The occurrence of the larvae of 7 additional species is apparently adventitious, All stages of the two new species plus the larvae of P. arctica and P. quadrinodosus are described. The males of T. tricornis are dimorphic and L. sedna is parthenogenetic. New distribution records are given for most of the species. The chironomid fauna of Char Lake is compared with that of other arctic lakes.

Only a few studies have been made on the external morphology of both the adults and larva of a single species of sawfly, viz.: Hoplocampa balcyon (Nort.) (Bird 1926; 1927); Lygaeonematus subarcticus Forsl. (Forsslund 1936); Diprion pini (L.) (Arora 1953; 1959); Cephalcia marginata Middlekauff (Rivard 1955); and Taxonus agrorum Fallén (Ciampolini 1957). The following paper presents a detailed study of the external morphology of the larch sawfly, Pristiphora erichsonii (Htg.) and represents a consolidated revision of interim technical reports prepared earlier (Wong 1958a; 1958b). A recent paper by Bracken (1961) drew heavily from the wording and organization of the earlier of these reports for description of the external morphology of the adults of Anoplonyx luteipes (Cress.) and A. canadensis Harr. Unfortunately, Bracken incorporated minor morphological misinterpretations that have been corrected in the present paper.