Intensive studies on the biology of the spruce needle-miner, Pulicalvaria piceaella (Kft.), were carried out in the Province of Quebec between 1956 and 1959. The cycle is univoltine, larvae have five instars, and the insect overwinters in the larval stage. P. piceaella collected from the Gaspé Peninsula were significantly larger than those from southwestern Quebec, which in turn were larger than individuals from an incidental collection made near Syracuse, New York.

Young larvae were most often found in foliage damaged by associated defoliating insects. In these circumstances, they mined needles adjacent to the damaged sites or fed partly on the damaged material and partly by mining needles, and in some cases fed exclusively on the dead foliage. The majority of larvae entered dormancy about the third week of September in all localities and in all years, an apparent diapause reaction to a critical photoperiod of approximately 12 hours. Resumption of feeding activity the following spring was apparently governed by temperature. In the spring, larvae transferred to new feeding sites, either to the current year's buds or to the previous year's foliage. In the Gaspé Peninsula the larvae migrated to buds, whereas in southwestern Quebec reinitiation of larval activity preceded the opening of the buds by almost a month, and larvae transferred to new sites on the previous year's growth where they mined needles. Pupae were often found in silken cells within the various feeding sites but most larvae probably dropped to the soil to pupate.

Mating and oviposition habits of the moths are described. Mean fecundity was 22 as derived from dissections of gravid females, and mean number of eggs deposited per female averaged 11. Eggs were deposited singly and usually found in the same sites as young larvae.

Prionomitus mitratus (Dalm.), Trechnites insidiosus (Crawford), Pachyneuron sp. and Asaphes probably vulgaris Walker are recorded as parasitic in Psylla pyricola L. The first two are primary parasites, the latter two are hyperparasites. All are new records for British Columbia. The biologies of T. insidiosus and Pachyneuron sp. are discussed briefly.

Comparative studies on breeding and survival of Polygraphus rufipennis (Kirby) in black spruce, Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP., red spruce, P. rubens Sarg, and white spruce, P. glauca (Moench) Voss, indicate that red spruce is the most favourable host. The thicker, more scaly bark of red spruce and the less frequent occurrence of competition for bark space and food by other organisms are considered as contributory to the success of beetles in this host tree.

Light traps using incandescent lamps operated on 115-volt commercial power have been used in studies in Saskatchewan of the lepidopterous pests of rapeseed crops. However, there was a need for a light trap that could be operated in areas remote from electric power. Because of the proven usefulness of low-wattage argon lamps in pink bollworm detection investigations (Glick 1961), and their low power requirements, these lamps were used experimentally in the portable power and control system described here.

The significance of the housefly, Musca domestica Linnaeus, as a probably introduced species in the Western Hemisphere is pertinent to a search for more exotic natural enemies in the Eastern Hemisphere. Avenues of entry into this hemisphere are discussed. A list is provided of the principal larval and pupal parasites found by the authors attacking M. domestica in North, Central, and South America and this is compared to species from the Eastern Hemisphere.

Specifications and construction of an automatically recording insect flight mill are described. Revolutions of individual flight mills are recorded, by means of photocells, on electric counters.

A leaf miner on ironwood, Chrysopeleia ostryaella Chambers, is recorded for the first time from Canada. Information on distribution, life history, habits, morphology of immature stages, and parasites is given.

The winter moth, Operophtera brumata (L.), and the Bruce spanworm moth, O. bruceata (Hulst), may be readily distinguished by differences in the male genitalia and the length of the vestigial wings of the female.

A larva with an extra proleg was collected near Orangeville in southern Ontario by A. A. Harnden, of the Forest Insect Survey, on 13 August 1964. The species was Anchylopera burgessiana Zeller, a leaf folder on red oak, Quercus rubra L.

An abnormal larva reported previously (Lindquist 1964) had twin anal prolegs on a common base. The specimen reported here has a complete supernumerary proleg situated between the normal anal pair (Fig. 1). The extra appendage has 27 crotchets arranged in a complete circle. It resembles the prolegs on abdominal segments 3–6, although these bear about 42 crotchets also arranged in a circle. Crotchets on the normal anal pair of prolegs number 25 and 29.

Newly hatched larvae of Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.) developed quickest on untreated flour plus 3% of wheat germ, but survived best on commercial vitamin-enriched flour. They developed as quickly on a synthetic casein diet containing 1.25 γ of biotin per gram as on vitamin-enriched flour, and survived as well on the synthetic casein diet as on untreated flour plus 3% of wheat germ. They developed slower and survived less well on a synthetic casein diet containing biotin at a concentration of 7.50 γ per gram than on untreated flour plus 3% of wheat germ. They also developed slower and survived less well on a casein diet containing ascorbic acid at a concentration of 0.025 g. per gram than on untreated flour plus 3% of wheat germ. Adults did not always emerge in the shortest time on diets on which the larvae pupated most quickly.

The first record of the occurrence in Canada of the pear fruit sawfly, Hoplocampa brevis (Klug), was made on 2 June 1964 when several larvae were collected in pear fruits near Queenston, Ontario, about one mile west of the Niagara River. The identity of the species was confirmed 26 May 1965 by Dr. H. E. Milliron, Taxonomic Section, Entomology Research Institute, Canada Department of Agriculture, Ottawa, from three adult sawflies taken in pear orchards 12–19 May 1965 and one adult that emerged in a cage 17 May 1965 from an overwintered larva.

Eucosma rescissoriana Heinrich is highly destructive to cones and seed of western white pine, Pinus monticola Douglas, and is distributed throughout the geographic range of this host species in northern Idaho. One generation is passed per year with emergence in late May. Egg and larval stages arc generally found in June and July; the pupal stage overwinters. Stand density and elevation were used as variables in ecological studies of population sine. All stages of E. rescissoriana were correlated to phenological data in 1962.

Females of Nasonia vitripennis (Walk.) lived longer, found more hosts, and produced more progeny at high host (housefly, Musca domestica L.) population densities than at lower ones. Because they feed on the fly pupae that they parasitize, the female parasites were able to obtain more food at high host population densities. Starved and unstarved females produced progeny with similar sex ratios. By feeding on parasitized fly pupae when unparasitized ones are scarce, females of N. vitripennis increase their longevity and their ability to oviposit if they subsequently find unparasitized hosts. Females that have fed partly or entirely on parasitized pupae subsequently produce relatively more diapause progeny.

An olfactometer is described in which an attractive zone is established and maintained in a precisely determined location on the floor (or wall) of an observation chamber and also in the air adjacent to it. Insects must therefore manifest their normal behavior in finding their way to it. The attenuation of the attraction by "background odors" can be studied quantitatively.

Most scolytids occupy temporary habitats. Migration, therefore, forms an important part of adult behaviour. Since the extent of migratory movement is positively correlated with the degree of impermanence of the species’ habitat, differences in the behaviour associated with migration must be expected to occur between species. Furthermore, the behaviour of individuals must change in relation to changes in physiology associated with migration and reproduction. These changes have been demonstrated in laboratory studies, and the results suggest that the phenomenon of secondary attraction observed among scolytids may have evolved in conjunction with their utilization of transitory habitats.

Both Nearctic species of Subterraneobombus occur in southern Alberta, but Bombus (Subterraneobombus) appositus Cress. is confined to the wooded areas whereas B. (S.) borealis Kby. is confined to the prairie. Both are adaptable in their nest-selecting habits and are among the latest species of Bombus to emerge and establish nests in their respective habitats.

Both species made large first broods; B. appositus averaged 13 ± 3 cocoons in 119 first broods. B. appositus never had more than two broods of workers, and B. borealis had only one. Both constructed pollen pockets beside and beneath the young larvae of the second and succeeding broods. Queens of B. appositus required about 23 days to rear the first workers. The largest workers of both species were considerably smaller than average-sized queens. Colonies of both species were relatively small; those of B. appositus averaged less than 100 individuals, the largest being 246. Both species were apparently sparse producers of wax.

Queens of both species apparently mated with males in the nest or immediately upon leaving the nest. New queens of B. appositus dug about one inch into the ground to hibernate.

Females of the cuckoo bee, Psithyrus insularis (Sm.), succeeded in having their young reared to maturity in nests of B. appositus.

Five new species of Cyclocephala are described as follows: C. miamiensis from Florida, U.S.A., C. arenosa from Sonora, Mexico, C. sinaloae from the west coast of Mexico from Sonora to Jalisco, C. forcipulata from Sinaloa and Nayarit, Mexico, and C. virkkii from San Salvador, El Salvador.

That insect blood pH can be altered by air ions was shown when larvae of the wax moth, Galleria mellonella L., were exposed to air ions at ion currents of 3 × 10−9 amp. Negative ions significantly raised the pH value over that of controls. Positive ions tended to depress the pH values, but the difference from the controls was slight and not significant. It is suggested that altered pH may be reflected in increased activity of insects when exposed to ionized air.

Feeding adults of the Oriental fruit moth, Grapholitha molesta (Busck), on a tagging solution of P32 containing 20–50 μc./ml. had no apparent effect on their longevity, mating, fecundity, and motility or on the viability of their eggs. The rate of 20–50 μc./ml. was in the range used for dispersal studies. Moths thus tagged had radioactivities of about 1500–2500 c.p.m.

Female moths fed on solutions of P32 at 100 μc./ml. showed counting rates of more than 5000 c.p.m. These females, when mated with normal males, laid approximately 33% fewer eggs than normal females. Also, the fertility of the eggs was reduced by about 25% when only the female parent was radioactive and 15% when only the male parent was radioactive to the extent of over 5000 c.p.m.

Dactynotus caligatus is described. It is a large green aphid that infests Solidago spp., and can be readily distinguished by the two parallel rows of tubercles on the dorsum of the abdomen.