The larva and pupa of Cardiocladius albiplumus Saether are described and compared with other members of Cardiocladius and the genus Eukiefferiella. The male adult is typically Cardiocladius, whereas the immature stages have many characteristics of Eukiefferiella. The traits of this species indicate a need to redefine the generic limits for Cardiocladius and Eukiefferiella.

Incidence of parasitism by Pteromalus venustus Walker in populations of the alfalfa leafcutter bee, Megachile rotundata (F.), in western Canada from 1976 to 1983 was found to average ca. 1%. An average of 17.4 parasite adults emerged from each host cocoon and the ratio of males to females was 1:1. Temperature-dependent development and survival at 8 constant temperatures are described. The range of temperatures for greatest survival of the parasite (30–32 °C) coincided with the recommended incubation temperatures for cocoons of the leafcutter bee. Development data fitted a 4-parameter development model. Linear regression of development rate versus temperature provided estimates of base temperature and development time in degree-days for the egg, larval, pupal, and combined stages.

Populations of Scolytus multistriatus (Marsham) from two areas of California were sampled in 1979 to investigate various factors influencing mortality. English-elm bolts (Ulmus procera Salisb.) ranging between 2.0 and 12.9 cm in diameter yielded mean mortalities from 49.1 to 86.0%. Mortality was highly correlated with egg density for branch samples from 7.0 to 12.9 cm in diameter. The minimum acceptable elm-branch diameter (2.8 cm) was attacked only during the first sampling period (mid-May to mid-June). Branch diameter, and therefore bark thickness, demonstrated a strong positive relationship with the density of S. multistriatus eggs, attacks, gallery lengths, and emerged adults. Gallery length density was positively correlated with attack density. At low attack densities in small-diameter branches, mean gallery lengths were shorter.

Representative aquatic insects, larvae of Simuliidae, Chironomidae, Trichoptera, Megaloptera, and nymphs of Ephemeroptera and Plecoptera, were tested for susceptibility to continuous exposure to Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner var. kurstaki at 4.3, 43, and 430 IU/mL. Only Simulium vittatum was affected, and at the highest concentration. Effects on other organisms, particularly Prosimulium fuscum/mixtum, were suggested. The lowest of the concentrations tested was twice the worst-case transitory concentration peaks expected in water from aerial forest spraying at 30 BIU/ha. Spray buffer zones around water bodies are unnecessary at this spray rate.

The numbers of Douglas-fir tussock moths (Orgyia pseudotsugata) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) caught in sticky, delta-shaped pheromone traps baited with different concentrations of synthetic lures were compared with egg-mass densities and subsequent defoliation throughout a population cycle. A lure containing 0.01% pheromone by weight in the form of a 3 × 5-mm polyvinylchloride rod provided more consistent catches than pheromone concentrations of 0.0001, 0.001, 0.1, or 1.0%. Trap saturation occurred when >40 moths per trap were caught. To achieve a standard error of 30%, 6 traps were required at each site. There was a poor correlation between numbers of moths caught and egg-mass density or defoliation estimates in the following generation, but a threshold density was found that provides a warning of an incipient outbreak. Ground surveys for egg masses are recommended to confirm suspected infestations after continuous increases in moth catches for 2 to 3 years or if an average of 25 moths or more per trap has been caught.

Females of Diplolepis rosae introduce their ovipositors between the developing leaflets of an expanding bud of Rosa and attach their eggs singly to epidermal cells. The anatomy of the ovipositor is described in relation to the oviposition behavior. SEM and optical microscopic observations of the ovipositor are described, as are the relationships between the sheath and the 2 stylets. Changes in the shape of the eggs as they pass down the ovipositor are also described.

The life history and biology of Ips latidens (LeConte) were investigated using bark-sandwich and whole-log rearing methods. In contrast with other Ips spp., some females initiated galleries under conditions of female-biased sex ratios, and sometimes 2 or more males were present in a gallery. In general, however, I. latidens exhibited typical ipine characteristics. A single male usually admitted 1–3 females into a gallery. Females oviposited at a rate of 2.25 eggs/day and achieved a mean fecundity of 64.4 eggs. The larval stage comprised 80% of the generation time (egg to teneral adult) and analysis of head-capsule widths disclosed 3 larval instars. The mean survivorship within broods was 56.0% after 70 days; the reproductive success of monogamous pairs of beetles was 36.1 teneral adults. Single females constructed 3–4 egg tunnels/gallery system; hence, harem size cannot always be inferred from the number of egg tunnels in each gallery. The mean generation time in the laboratory was 2.07 × greater than for I. pini. By comparing laboratory data on I. latidens with laboratory and field data on I. pini, the generation time of I. latidens is estimated at 64–124 days in the field. In south-central British Columbia, I. latidens probably has 1 generation, and possibly 2 broods, per year.

Discovery of diapause in Barbara colfaxiana (Kft.) in the pharate-adult stage of development has allowed establishment of morphological characteristics to distinguish 1-year-diapause individuals from 2-year-diapause individuals at an earlier stage than previously possible. These morphological and some histological criteria are described. On the basis of morphological characteristics alone, 1- and 2-year-diapause individuals can be readily and reliably recognized by the unaided eye. The practical significance as well as the potential contribution of these findings to further research are pointed out.

During the summer of 1982, aerial experimental sprayings were carried out with a new formula of Bacillus thuringiensis named Futura®. This formula provided a treatment of the 20 × 109 IU of B. thuringiensis/ha required for suppression of spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana), in a final volume of 2.5 L/ha. Results of spraying with Grumman AgCat and DC-4G aircraft are presented. These results were compared with those obtained with formulas of B. thuringiensis used in the past at 4.7 L/ha. Futura® caused 91.1 and 88.7% larval mortality and resulted in 86.6 and 75.1% foliage protection with the Grumman AgCat and DC-4G aircraft, respectively. Such results were equal to or better than those obtained with the formulas used earlier at 4.7 L/ha and confirm the feasibility of using B. thuringiensis operationally in an efficient and economical way.

When I was asked to serve as moderator for a symposium on the “Economics of Entomological Effort”, I was honored and pleased to accept. The honor became abundantly clear when I received the full details of the symposium and recognized the high caliber of the speakers who would participate. The pleasure to accept derived from the great importance of the subject and my own conviction that neither the public, the scientific community, nor the administrators of research realize fully the economic importance of studies on insects. It is therefore timely that this symposium be held, a symposium that has as its purpose to show how efforts in entomology contribute to public welfare through advances in the discipline and through “spin off” to other areas of science.

Organizers of this year's conference chose a surprising theme — the economics of entomological effort. It is surprising because, to many professional entomologists, economics is a foreign and little-understood subject area that has limited applicability to their work. There have been few examples of entomological effort that involved the working together of professionals from both disciplines.

“Fundamental” or “basic” entomological research may be defined as any research that has insects as the organisms under study and that does not have as its immediate objective the eradication or reduction in numbers of these insects. Within the framework of this deliberately broad definition may be included:

(1) Most, but not all, research done by entomologists in universities, closeted away in their “ivory towers” and generally appearing to the public not to care much about what goes on in the rest of the world. The motivation behind this research is the intrinsic curiosity of the scientist towards insects.

The economic importance of research in veterinary–medical entomology is inadequately defined. In this paper we attempt to assess progress in bioeconomics and feasible approaches to estimate benefits from this field of study.

Benefits accruing from veterinary–medical entomology are in improved efficiency or increased productivity of man and his animals. Assessing this effort has been neglected because of difficulty and expense in measuring loss. Even if direct losses were known, indirect ones due to insect-borne diseases and other health-related factors are generally immeasurable.

The economics of entomological effort is discussed from the viewpoint of the pesticide industry in Canada. Industry is concerned primarily with obtaining an acceptable return on investment. To illustrate the investment trend in insecticide development in Canada, the cost of research and development (R&D) from discovery to registration is examined. Statistics on retail sales of pest-control products, on new compounds being tested, and on the number of new registrations indicate declining interest in insecticide development in Canada. The present and future role of the Canadian pesticide industry in insecticide development is discussed.

In opening the symposium, I referred to 3 reasons why I felt the symposium was so important and why I was pleased to participate in it. The first of these reasons was our need to define the benefits of entomology in economic terms so that we could make our case for funding. This point was made repeatedly. Those allocating resources see many outstretched hands. The public demands return on investments. If we are to be successful in having funds allotted to entomology, we must justify these in terms of real return to society.