Insect flight can be divided into four basic components which lend themselves to independent study. These are: (1) flight preparation and response; (2) the body movements and their resultant forces; (3) the flight capacity; and (4) flight orientation. Many authors have dealt with these various phases of flight and studies have been made on a wide variety of insects. Nevertheless, on reviewing the literature two deficiencies become apparent. First, there are very few cases where a complete study of flight has been made for a single species, an outstanding exception being the studies on locust flight by Weis-Fogh and Jensen (1956). Secondly, beetles, particularly the Scolytidae, have been neglected as experimental material in flight studies

The use of potato as a trap crop for the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), in processing tomatoes was evaluated. The proportion of beetles counted on potato trap rows vs. the tomato crop on a per plant basis was 0.99, 1 week after transplanting, and never fell below 0.93 on any sampling date. In tomato plots that received no insecticides, potato trap rows placed as much as 16 tomato beds apart were effective in reducing beetle numbers on the tomatoes and producing crop yields 61–87% higher than plots without trap rows. Four of six pairs of plots had significantly fewer adult beetles and significantly higher tomato yields when a potato trap crop was present.

The larch sawfly, Pristiphora erichronii (Htg.), is currently considered a major forest insect pest in Canada. At the present time within Canada, the sawfly reacts to parasitism by Mesoleius tenthredinis Morley in two ways. In Manitoba and Saslratchewan the sawfly encapsulates approximately 100 per cent of the parasite eggs deposited, whereas in British Columbia encapsulation rarely exceeds four per cent (Muldrew, 1953). The reasons for the difference in degree of encapsulation are apparently unknown; however, since the origin of the sawfly itself is obscure, the possibility exists that a native species, an introduced species, Or a combination of both may he present, or that geographical or ecological units may have arisen. Studies now under way by officers of the Forest Biology and Entomology divisions are attacking the problem of identity and origin following the pattern established for the European spruce sawfly, Diprion hercyniae (Htg.). In this instance, as with the larch sawfly, parasites were introduced on the assumption that the pest had been introduced from Europe. Critical investigations by Reeks (1941) and Balch, Reeks, and Smith (1941), involving morphological, cytological, and other biological characters, showed that the species occurring in North America was one of two species common in Europe, and previously referred to there as Gilpinia polytoma (Htg.). Balch et al. (1941) showed that D. hercyniae had been introduced into North America.

Descriptions of the larvae of Lancetes angusticollis (Curtis), L. lanceolatus (Clark), L. subseriatus Zimmermann, L. flavoscutatus Enderlein, L. delkeskampi Ríha, and L. nigriceps (Erichson) are provided. Characters from larval morphology are analyzed to infer the phylogenetic relationships of the genus Lancetes Sharp with other genera of Dytiscidae. A parsimony analysis based on 51 informative larval characteristics was conducted with the program NONA. The most parsimonious tree supports a sister-group relationship between the genus Lancetes and members of the subfamily Dytiscinae. The only unambiguous synapomorphy in support of this hypothesis is the secondary subdivision of some cephalic appendages. Other putative synapomorphies are the proximal articulation of the primary seta CO7 both on meso- and meta-coxa and the presence of additional primary setae on the ventral margin of the tibiae. Based on several character states including the presence of multifragmented urogomphi, the genus Lancetes is monophyletic.

Probable ancestral types of courtship behavior for most sepsid flies were deduced from the behavior and morphology of a species in the relatively basal genus Themira. At least three of the five behavior patterns used by Themira minor (Haliday) males to court females prior to and during copulation are shared with other, more derived groups. During copulation the male's sternal lobes were rotated so that their brushes of long setae were fanned apart and may tap the female. The morphology of the tips of the male's genitalic surstyli and the muscles attached to them indicate that they are also moveable. This trait, which occurs in several other distantly related species, probably serves to squeeze the female during copulation. Thus, contrary to the impression from previous studies, elaborate courtship before and during copulation may be widespread among sepsids.

In 1968 and 1969 soil samples were collected and bioassayed from 116 fields of crucifers from 14 counties in southern Ontario. Residues of T. ni viruses (nuclear-polyhedrosis (NPV) and granulosis (GV)) were found in soil from 12 counties, being detected in 68 and 45% of soil samples in the respective years. P. rapae granulosis virus (GV) occurred in soil from 7 counties, being found in 18 and 19% of samples. T. ni NPV was more common than T. ni GV. The concentration of viruses of both host species in soil was influenced by density of the host population, crop rotation, soil pH, and month of sampling.

Five trap designs were evaluated for their efficiency in capturing overwintering adults of the carrot weevil, Listronotus oregonensis (Le Conte). Trap catches were compared with counts of oviposition and nutrition cavities found in carrots placed on the ground. A trap consisting of 22 wooden plates, separated by metal washers and placed over a carrot which was used as bait, proved to be the most efficient. The weevils crawl between the plates, feed on the carrot, and are collected by dismantling the trap over a pan. This technique provided a seasonal record of carrot-weevil activity comparable to that obtained with carrot sections and can be used to issue insecticide-treatment recommendations prior to the beginning of the carrot-weevil oviposition period.

A strain of the alfalfa leafcutter bee, Megachile pacifica Panzer, that has produced less than 1% second-generation adults for 3 consecutive years was produced by selection against bivoltinism. The selection process also resulted in the production of bees that reproduced at a much higher rate than the unselected parent stock.

Oviposition of the predacious mites Phytoseiulus persimilis and Typhlodromus fallacis began 2 days after mating, reached a peak in 1 week, and then declined irregularly. The rates of oviposition were higher, and the oviposition period shorter at 26° than at 20°C. P. persimilis laid 47% more eggs than T. fallacis. The generation time for both species was very dependent on temperature. Minimum values of 112 hours for P. persimilis and 127 hours for T. fallacis were obtained at 28°.

Calculations of potential predator populations from the generation time, age-specific fecundity, and proportion of females were made on a daily basis for successive generations. The potential number of living females derived from one mated pair increased logarithmically after a few cycles representing new generations. The rate of increase of P. persimilis populations was 26% higher than that of T. fallacis, and in both species the rate at 26° was about double the rate at 20°.

Searching for adult coccinellids in large cages placed over sections of strawberry fields produced an average of 10 times as many coccinellids per metre of row as a relative method of sampling. Methods of converting relative indices to absolute indices of abundance were found. Results suggest that the frequently observed slow increase in abundance of aphid predators in response to increasing aphid abundance may be an artifact resulting from using relative indices of abundance that make no correction for the effects of hunger on predator activity. Calibrating the samples shows that numbers of adult coccinellids follow the trend of aphid abundance closely enough that coccinellid numbers may be predictable.

During 1951 and 1952 a study was conducted on types of larval habitat, larval and adult feeding, cocoon spinning, the emergence process and oviposition of Utah black flies. Most of the work was concentrated at six stations in City Creek Canyon and four stations in Red Butte Canyon. The data obtained at these stations were supplemented with additional observations, made thru 1955, in various localities throughout the state.

Red Butte and City Creek Canyons are located on the western side of the Wasatch Mountains. Red Butte Canyon is directly east of Salt Lake City, and City Creek Canyon is approximately three miles northwest of Red Butte and north of the City.

In southern Alberta the range of Bombus (Alpinobombus) balteatus was limited to mountainous areas with minimum elevations of 7,400 ft. When given equal opportunity to nest in above- or underground hives, queens established in two above, and 12 underground hives. The middle of the nest-establishing period in the hives was about 24 June 1962, and 17 June 1963.

Construction of the brood cell was begun before that of the honey pot. All eggs of the first brood were deposited in n single cell; not all were deposited on the same day. Second- and third-brood egg cells were built in parallel lines on each side of the incubation groove. At least once, the second brood was also workers. Succeeding broods were probably first males and then queens, as males emerged first.

Pollen was fed collectively to worker larvae of all instars, except the last, by stuffing it beneath them. All instars of male and queen larvae, except the last, were fed collectively mixtures of honey and pollen. Last-instar larvae of all broods separated from each other by spinning flimsy, incomplete cocoons, and were fed individually mixtures of honey and pollen. Hence, B. balteatus is a pocket-maker when rearing worker larvae to the last instar and a pollen-storer when rearing last-instar worker, male, and queen larvae.

Mortality of diapausing and non-diapausing pupae of Heliothis virescens (Fabricius) and H. zea (Boddie) at low temperatures was assessed in the laboratory. Comparison of the exposure time necessary to induce 50% mortality (LT50) indicated that survival of diapausing pupae was significantly higher than that of non-diapausing pupae. Similar comparisons showed no consistent significant differences in mortality of pupae from different geographic locations within Texas or in pupae preconditioned in several different ways. One exception was the response of pupae of H. virescens preconditioned to varying temperatures. This type of preconditioning appeared to increase the cold-hardiness of pupae at subfreezing temperatures. Contact moisture significantly decreased LT50 values of pupae of both species at sub-zero temperatures. Predictive models for low temperature mortality were developed for dry, diapausing pupae.

Reports in the literature on the activities of adults of the cabbage maggot, Hylemya brassicae (Bouché), are scanty, sometimes not in agreement with one another, and usually recorded in conjunction with observations on field ecology. Now that individual insects are being used in studies of resistance in rutabagas (Swailes, 1960) a more detailed account of activities after adult emergence is available. This paper deals with the pre-oviposition, mating, and oviposition 'behaviour of the females and mating behaviour of the males.

A serological technique, the precipitin test, was examined as a method for determining the feeding habits of the spider Pardosa sternalis Thorell (Araneae: Lycosidae). Radial immunodiffusion responses were significantly influenced by quantity of prey consumed, the time elapsed between spider feeding and serological analysis, and the temperature at which spiders were maintained after feeding. Maximum antigen detection time after feeding was 150–200 h for spiders fed varying quantities of prey and held at 25°C and over 400 h for those held at 4°C. Ouchterlony double diffusion tests indicated that although two congeneric prey species could be distinguished from one another, significant cross-reactivity between the two was observed. No such cross-reactivity occurred between more distantly related prey species. The feasibility for utilizing precipitin analyses in field studies of predator–prey relationships is discussed.

Tick paralysis continues to be one of the most baffling and fascinating tickborne diseases in Canada. It was first reported in this country by Todd in 1912. Since then about 250 human cases, including 28 deaths, have been recorded from British Columbia. Outbreaks in cattle have affected up to 400 animals at a time, with losses in a herd as high as 65 head. Although the disease is most common in the Pacific northwest, where it is caused by the Rocky Mountain wood tick, Dermacentor andersoni Stiles, it has lately been reported as far south as Florida and has been produced by Dermacentor variabilis Say, Amblyomma maculatum Koch, and A. americanum (L.) (Gregson, 1953). The symptoms include a gradual ascending symmetrical flaccid paralysis. Apparently only man, sheep, cattle, dogs, and buffalo (one known instance) are susceptible, but even these may not necessarily be paralysed.

The woodwasp Sirex noctilio F. is invading North American forests, where it will interact with a large guild of pine-inhabiting beetles and their associated fungi. The woodwasp's obligate fungal symbiont, Amylostereum areolatum (Fries) Boidin (Stereaceae), plays an essential role in the wasp's larval development but is expected to be a poor competitor in the presence of fungi vectored by co-occurring insects. We examined the outcomes of competitive interactions between A. areolatum and two fungal species vectored by bark beetles, Leptographium wingfieldii Morelet (Ophiostomataceae) and Ophiostoma minus (Hedgcock) H. and P. Sydow (Ophiostomataceae), and the effect of temperature and substrate on these interactions. Beetle-associated fungi were usually able to capture more uncolonized resource than A. areolatum regardless of substrate or temperature. Amylostereum areolatum was able to colonize relatively more space in some cases but could not gain substrate already colonized by the ophiostomatoid competitor. These findings suggest that competitive interactions between beetle-vectored fungal species and A. areolatum could influence the reproductive fitness and distribution of S. noctilio within individual trees and also across a wide geographic area.

Wasps of the family Ichneumonidae recorded as parasitoids of Choristoneura Lederer (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in North America are summarized. A total of 113 species in 45 genera and 11 subfamilies have been reliably reared from 10 species of Nearctic Choristoneura. Twenty-one more species are listed as possible parasitoids of Nearctic Choristoneura, based on rearings from Palearctic Choristoneura species and (or) limited introductions to North America. Well-illustrated identification keys are provided to the subfamilies, all genera, and species of 39 of the genera. The species of Choristoneura used as hosts by the 113 ichneumonid species are tabulated, as well as the wasps’ geographic ranges. The biological characteristics of the ichneumonid subfamilies parasitizing Choristoneura spp. are described and compared. Erroneous Choristoneura host records and synonyms for all ichneumonid taxa previously recorded from Nearctic Choristoneura spp. are given. Phaeogenes gaspesianus Provancher is moved to Dirophanes Förster, forming D. gaspesianus (Provancher) comb. nov. New host records are Phaeogenes cacoeciae Viereck and Scambus hispae (Harris) on C. rosaceana (Harris), D. gaspesianus and Pimpla disparis Viereck on C. fumiferana (Clemens) (P. disparis having been introduced to New Brunswick to control the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.)), and Exochus turgidus Holmgren on C. occidentalis Freeman.

The persistence of Neodiprion sertifer nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) on Pinus contorta foliage samples collected from sawfly infested plantations located throughout Britain was studied. Sawfly density and disease epizootiology varied between localities. Results from the bioassay of branch samples, divided into bark, needle base and foliage samples, indicated that N. sertifer NPV produced during a single virus epizootic can persist for at least 2 years on the pine foliage. Bark and needle base samples were found to be contaminated with NPV more often than foliage samples, perhaps reflecting the effect of weathering on the persistence of virus on the needle surface.

Laboratory bioassays showed the occurrence of 8.5-fold resistance to cyhexatin and ca. 15-fold resistance to dicofol in laboratory-selected populations of European red mite (Panonychus ulmi (Koch)). Surveys, in 1984, of 45 orchards, using field-collected mites exposed to discriminating concentrations of cyhexatin or dicofol, detected resistance to cyhexatin in ca. 29% of the populations. Resistance to dicofol was identified in 2 of 45 assays.