The lily leaf beetle, Lilioceris lilii (Scopoli) (Fig. 1), was first noticed in Portage la Prairie (49°58′N, 98°20′W), about 90 km west of Winnipeg, in June and July 1999. The beetles were present on Asiatic lily varieties only, especially tiger lilies (Lilium tigrinum Ker-Gawl (Liliaceae)). Larvae and adults were observed at two locations in the northeastern section of the town. The plants that were attacked were completely defoliated.

Entomologists traditionally use the Jolly–Seber analytical method (JSAM) to estimate demographic parameters from capture–mark–recapture data, although more powerful approaches like the constrained linear models (CLM) have been developed and are commonly and successfully applied to vertebrates. Demographic parameters (i.e., survival, capture, and recruitment rates, population size, and sex ratio) of a patchy population of the Bog Fritillary butterfly, Proclossiana eunomia (Esp.) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), were estimated using CLM on the basis of daily captures of imagoes during 11 yearly generations (1992–2002). Comparing these results with JSAM results obtained on the same data lead us to stress that CLM are far more powerful tools which allow for optimal exploitation of capture–mark–recapture data. This method allows the identification of the variation patterns of demographic parameters and to link them to life-history traits; furthermore it gives more precise estimates of these crucial input parameters for the modelling of population trends and population viability analysis.

This paper describes the effect of the colour of burlap bands (black versus naturally coloured or tan burlap) affixed to red oak, Quercus rubra (L.) (Fagaceae), and how it influences selection of larval resting site, pupation site, and egg-mass counts of gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.). In field experiments with half black and half tan burlap bands, the mean number of larvae, pupae, and egg masses were significantly greater under the black section of burlap. Individual burlap bands composed of either black or tan burlap affixed to separate trees produced similar significant results for larvae and pupae. When two burlap bands composed of opposite colours (black versus tan) were affixed to the same tree, significantly more larvae were found under the upper band, regardless of colour. In contrast, pupa and egg-mass densities were significantly greater under black bands, regardless of band position.

The sex pheromone of Cochylis arthuri Dang was identified as a 80:20 mixture of (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate (Z11-14:OAc) and (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetate (E11-14:OAc). Cochylis arthuri is a congener of the banded sunflower moth, Cochylis hospes Walsingham, which is a major pest of sunflower, Helianthus spp. (Compositae), in the Great Plains region of North America. Both are found sympatrically on sunflower in this region, although C. arthuri appears to be less common. Field testing of various blends, in sticky traps, showed that a loading of 80 µg Z11-14:OAc and 20 µg E11-14:OAc on a red rubber septum gave the best catches. In field trials in sunflower plots, traps baited with either the C. hospes blend or the best blend tested for C. arthuri only caught significant numbers, relative to blank traps, of males of the respective species, suggesting that the sex pheromones of the two species are specific under those conditions. The identification of an attractive blend of the sex pheromone of C. arthuri will give researchers another tool to investigate the pest status of C. arthuri on sunflowers.

Crop cultivar can affect the ability of natural enemies to control pest populations. Peas, Pisum sativum L. (Fabaceae), with a reduced epicuticular wax bloom have reduced pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), populations in the field than peas with a normal-wax bloom. In this paper we use the functional response to examine predation by Hippodamia convergens Guérin de Méneville (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) larvae foraging on pea plants with a normal- and a reduced-wax bloom. We found that Hippodamia convergens shows a Type II functional response on both phenotypes of peas. Hippodamia convergens consumed significantly more pea aphids on reduced-wax plants than on normal-wax plants. The instantaneous search rate, a, was higher for predators on reduced-wax plants, but the handling time, Th, was similar for predators on both wax phenotypes. In addition, we tested the ability of H. convergens larvae to attach to the surface of normal-wax and reduced-wax pea leaves. We found that H. convergens larvae attach more strongly to reduced-wax peas than to normal-wax peas. These results suggest that predation of pea aphid by H. convergens is enhanced on reduced-wax peas due to increased ability of predators to attach to these plants, and as a result, search for and find aphids.

We studied the effects of inundative releases of the egg parasitoid Trichogramma minutum Riley (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) on economic injury by grape berry moth, Endopiza viteana (Clemens) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Trichogramma minutum originally collected from natural host populations near North East, Pennsylvania, was mass produced in tobacco hornworm hosts and Mediterranean flour moth. We released T. minutum in border rows, where grape berry moth infestation is typically high, of experiment field station and commercial vineyards from 1996 to 1999. We recorded significant reductions in economic injury in plots where parasitoids were released. In vineyards with low to moderate grape berry moth abundance, four releases during the growing season were adequate in reducing damage at harvest to below 3%. In high-risk vineyards, T. minutum releases reduced damage to levels below 15%. The use of buckwheat as a cover crop to provide nectar in combination with parasitoid releases showed potential benefits in parasitoid activity. A biocarrier and Biosprayer™ were used in mechanized parasitoid-release operations, and no adverse effect on parasitoid emergence was recorded from parasitized eggs using this approach.

Imidacloprid-treated spheres and several classes of insecticides were evaluated in field and laboratory experiments to determine their effects on Rhagoletis mendax Curran adult behavioural activity and larval infestation in highbush blueberries, Vaccinium corymbosum L. (Ericaceae). In field tests, three treatments representing an attract-and-kill system (imidacloprid-treated spheres) and two classes of insecticides, including a naturalyte spinosad (SpinTor 2 SC) and organophosphates (Imidan®/Malathion), were evaluated against an untreated control. Significantly more blueberry maggot puparia were collected from untreated (control) plots than from other treatments evaluated. There were no significant differences in larval infestation of berries collected from plots treated with imidacloprid-treated spheres, SpinTor 2 SC, and Imidan®/Malathion. Less than 1% of the berries collected from imidacloprid-treated sphere plots and SpinTor 2 SC treated plots contained blueberry maggot larvae. In toxicity and fruit-injury studies, SpinTor 2 SC as well as additional compounds from various classes were evaluated, including a botanical [azadiractin (Ecozin 3%)], a particle film [kaolin clay (SurroundTM WP)], and three neonicotinoids [imidacloprid (Provado 1.6 F), thiocloprid (Calypso 480 SC), and thiamethoxam (PlatinumTM 2 SC and ActaraTM 25 WG)]. SpinTor 2 SC exhibited a time lag (18 h) in reducing R. mendax activity. Ecozin 3% and SurroundTM WP were ineffective in suppressing R. mendax adult activity, but numbers of larvae in SurroundTM WP treated fruit were significantly reduced. The effectiveness of neonicotinoid insecticides varied initially but resulted in equivalent levels of mortality after 48 h compared with our conventional organophosphate treatment of Guthion 50 WP. Oviposition scars on Provado 1.6 F treated plots were significantly more numerous than on plots treated with SpinTor 2 SC, Calypso 480 SC, Actara 25 WG, and Guthion 50 WP.

Laricobius nigrinus Fender, native to the Pacific Northwest, is being evaluated as a potential biological control agent of the hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae Annand, in the eastern United States. Members of the genus Laricobius feed exclusively on adelgids. Adelges tsugae is found on hemlocks (Tsuga sp.) in North America and Asia, but is considered only a pest of eastern [Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière] and Carolina (Tsuga caroliniana Engelmann) hemlocks in eastern North America. This is the first detailed study of the life history of L. nigrinus and its interaction with A. tsugae. Results of a 2-year field study conducted in a seed orchard in British Columbia on the seasonal abundance of L. nigrinus and its prey, A. tsugae, revealed that (i) the sistens generation of A. tsugae matures 2-3 months earlier than previously reported in Virginia and Connecticut, (ii) no A. tsugae sexuparae were observed, which differs from findings in Virginia and Connecticut, (iii) L. nigrinus adults undergo an aestival diapause that coincides with diapausing first instar A. tsugae sistens, and (iv) oviposition and subsequent larval development of L. nigrinus coincides with oviposition by the A. tsugae sistens adults, indicating good synchrony between L. nigrinus and suitable prey stages of A. tsugae.

The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsamura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a pest of soybeans in the People's Republic of China, Korea, Thailand, Japan, North Borneo, Malaya, and the Philippines (Blackman and Eastop 2000). It was first identified in North America in 2000 from soybean fields in 10 states in the north-central United States of America, although the route of entry and time of introduction are not known (North Central Regional Pest Alert 2001). Dai and Fan (1991) reported that yield losses caused by soybean aphids on soybeans in the People's Republic of China were greater when the crop was infested soon after planting, and the presence of large populations of the aphid throughout the growing season resulted in 20%–30% yield losses. The soybean aphid can also transmit several viruses that infect soybeans in North America, including alfalfa mosaic, soybean mosaic, bean yellow mosaic, peanut mottle, peanut stunt, and peanut stripe (Hartman et al. 2001). In North America, the soybean aphid is known to transmit soybean mosaic virus and alfalfa mosiac virus (Hill et al. 2001). A survey of Ontario soybean fields revealed the presence of tobacco ring spot virus, soybean mosiac virus, and bean pod mottle virus (Michelutti et al. 2001); all of which could potentially be spread by this newly introduced aphid.

To effectively monitor forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria Hübner (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), populations using sex pheromone baited traps, we field-tested pheromone dispenser (lure) type, lure age, and trap design using (Z,E)-5,7-dodecadienal:(Z,Z)-5,7-dodecadienal (100:1). Rubber septa lures, polyurethane lures, and two trap types [sticky-type pheromone traps (Wing Trap I) and bucket-type pheromone traps (Universal Moth trap)] were evaluated. Traps baited with polyurethane lures produced higher trap catches and lower zero-catch frequencies than did rubber septa traps. There was no detectable difference in trap catch among polyurethane lures aged 0–28 days. Wing traps reached a functional saturation point in outbreak M. disstria populations and caught fewer moths than Universal traps in nonoutbreak populations. A nonsaturating trap such as the Universal trap in conjunction with the polyurethane lure should be effective for monitoring M. disstria populations.

A field study was performed in southern Alberta, Canada, to assess the native wasp, Trichomalopsis sarcophagae (Gahan), as a potential biocontrol agent for house fly, Musca domestica L., and stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.). The wasp was readily reared in large numbers, which allowed for the cumulative release of an estimated 4.63 million wasps into three commercial feedlots during the 2-year study. Each of several releases predictably and repeatedly enhanced parasitism of sentinel house fly pupae, whereas parasitism remained low in three paired control feedlots where wasps were not released. Releases every 2nd week had a disproportionately greater effect than releases every 2nd month. In 1998, 1.2 million wasps were released into treatment feedlots resulting in the recovery of 3 952 T. sarcophagae from 31 500 sentinel pupae (0.13 wasps/pupa). In 1999, 3.43 million wasps were released into treatment feedlots, with the recovery of 37 763 wasps from 47 720 sentinel pupae (0.79 wasps/pupa). Hence, a 2.8-fold increase in the number of wasps released in 1999 resulted in a 6.1-fold increase in the recovery of wasps. This result supports industry recommendations of regular, repeated releases of wasps every 2nd or 4th week versus one or infrequent releases throughout the summer. There was no evidence that releases augmented overwintering populations of the wasp in subsequent years. These results provide proof-of-concept for the mass-rearing and release of T. sarcophagae as an inundative biocontrol agent for the control of pest flies in cattle confinements. Further studies will be required to assess the effect of T. sarcophagae releases on natural populations of pest flies.

The introduced red turpentine beetle, Dendroctonus valens LeConte, is one of the most economically important forest pests in the People's Republic of China, having killed more than 6 million pines in recent years. There is an urgent need to develop effective behavioral chemicals to monitor and control D. valens in the People's Republic of China, as well as in its native range in North America. We tested host kairomones as a 1:1:1 blend of α-pinene, β-pinene, and Δ-3-carene (releasing in the same proportions) for monitoring D. valens populations in the People's Republic of China. We also tested two release systems of verbenone for protection of Pinus tabuliformis Lawson from D. valens attack: (1) polyethylene bubblecaps (BCs) filled with 800 mg of nearly pure verbenone (releasing 18 mg/tree per day) and (2) a sprayable water suspension of microencapsulated (MEC) verbenone (releasing about 100 mg/tree per day). The host-volatile blend trapped substantial numbers of both sexes of adult beetles, up to 15 beetles per day, proving its potential for monitoring. Both of the verbenone release systems significantly reduced D. valens trap catch, and there was no difference between the BC treatment and the MEC treatment. Both release systems also reduced beetle attack on trees to the same level as unbaited controls, from a mean of 5.1 per tree to a mean of 0.7 per tree (for both release systems), suggesting that the treatments may also reduce tree mortality.

Pitfall trapping is a widely used sampling method for biodiversity-related research of ground-dwelling arthropods. The trap is a container, usually with a preservative, that is sunk into the ground to collect arthropods which happen upon the trap perimeter and fall in (Lemieux and Lindgren 1999; Work et al. 2002). Two types receive the most use: deep circular pitfall traps and shallow rectangular pan traps (Marshall et al. 2001). The preserving fluid can influence trap efficacy (Deville and Wheeler 1998). Our objectives were to compare the efficiency of pitfall and pan traps with and without detergent in the preserving fluid (Marshall et al. 1994), using carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and spiders (Araneae) as focal taxa.

Managed bumble bees are important pollinators of greenhouse crops, but few studies have examined factors that affect the health and productivity of commercially produced colonies. We investigated whether supplemental feeding with diverse pollens affected worker longevity and colony size of Bombus occidentalis Greene (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies in tomato (Solanaceae) greenhouses. We found no differences in colony worker populations, brood production, or queen and drone production between supplemented and nonsupplemented treatments, suggesting that B. occidentalis colonies obtain adequate nutrition from the tomato pollen available in greenhouses. Adult populations did not increase in any treatment, but either remained stable or declined after colonies were placed in greenhouses. Because brood-rearing increased in all treatments but adult populations did not, adult mortality due to a non-nutritional factor such as disease or disorientation appears to be an important problem limiting the size of bumble bee colonies, and thus the effectiveness of bumble bees for greenhouse tomato pollination.

Receptor characterization (i.e., identifying what will be affected by an activity) is the first step in a risk assessment of biocontrol agents for insects. Development of a representative list of species at risk, based on ecological vulnerability, enables host-range screening of potential biocontrol agents on a manageable group of nontarget insects. A database of 153 species was used to characterize the butterflies potentially at risk from an inundative release of the egg parasitoid Trichogramma minutum Riley. Risk criteria for butterfly species included North American, Canadian, and Ontario geographic distributions; oviposition phenology; number of generations per year; overwintering stage; host-plant preferences; and egg mass type and location. Ecological vulnerability lists of butterfly species were generated for northern and southern Ontario; areas where there have been recent experimental inundative releases of T. minutum for the suppression of forest pests. Based on the above criteria, 2 species and a maximum of 27 species would be potentially at risk, and thus requiring host-range testing if an inundative release were considered for northern and southern Ontario, respectively. The number of species on the ecological vulnerability list for southern Ontario could be reduced to 12 species depending on the specific geographic location in southern Ontario of the inundative release. The six criteria used for receptor characterization for T. minutum, associated primarily with host-habitat location and host-location, can also be used for other parasitoids. They are components of any target host's biology, and thus will affect the scale and impact of any parasitoid attacking eggs, larvae, or pupae. Additional criteria for receptor characterization may also be added that will relate to the specifics of a parasitoid's biology and are associated with host acceptance and host suitability. Development of ecologically based vulnerability lists should become standard practice in determining which nontarget species require host-range testing, for both inundative and classical biocontrol agents targeting insects, and for the potential impact of invasive species.

Lygus bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae), particularly the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), and Lygus hesperus Knight, are serious pests in North America (Hedlund and Graham 1987). Sex pheromones have been identified in some mirids (Smith et al. 1991; Millar et al. 1997; Millar and Rice 1998) but not in Lygus spp. (Ho and Millar 2002), despite evidence that lygus bug females produce sex pheromones (Scales 1968; Strong et al. 1970; Graham 1987; McLaughlin 1996; Scott and Snodgrass 2000). Graham (1987) found that L. lineolaris and Lygus elisus Van Duzee males were attracted to females of their own and the other species but not to L. hesperus females, whereas L. hesperus males were attracted only to conspecific females. In southwestern British Columbia, Lygus shulli Knight is a major pest in such diverse sites as conifer nurseries and greenhouses (Gillespie et al. 2000). Our objective was to determine whether sexual attraction occurs in L. shulli and whether L. shulli is cross-attracted to females of two other Lygus spp.

Populations of fruittree leafroller, Archips argyrospila (Walker), and European leafroller, Archips rosana L., were obtained from eight sites in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, and assayed for their responses to five insecticides using a leaf-disk bioassay and neonate larvae. Lethal concentration ratios (LCR values) were calculated for all populations compared with the most susceptible strain, and significant variation was detected in both species. LCR values ranged from 1.04 to 9.06 for azinphosmethyl, from 1.29 to 53.15 for tebufenozide (Confirm®), from 1.85 to 24.69 for methoxyfenozide (Intrepid®), from 1.59 to 2291.4 for indoxacarb (Avaunt®), and from 1.92 to 1.98 for spinosad (Success®). Methoxy fenozide was approximately 100-fold more toxic to neonate leafrollers than was tebufenozide, and spinosad was the most toxic of all materials tested. Correlation analysis indicated that there was cross-resistance between azinphosmethyl and tebufenozide. At the LC50 level, the responses of the two species were not significantly different for each insecticide. Analysis of equivalency and parallelism of dose-response lines revealed that A. argyrospila and A. rosana had equivalent responses to azinphosmethyl. LC50 values for the response of A. argyrospila to azinphosmethyl were not different from values obtained almost 20 years earlier. Cross-resistance between azinphosmethyl and tebufenozide suggests that resistance management for these two species of univoltine leafrollers should not include rotation of azinphosmethyl and benzoylhydrazine insect-growth regulators. The high level of resistance to indoxacarb found in one population indicates that baseline tolerance screening is desirable before indoxacarb is introduced for use in Canadian orchards.

The bumble bee Bombus terrestris L. is an important pollinator of commercial crops. Mass-rearing of bumble bees under controlled conditions is susceptible to pest outbreaks such as the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella L. This study showed that pollen collected from pollen traps at honey bee colonies can be contaminated with eggs of the Indian meal moth and that the eggs can hatch under bumble bee rearing conditions. Storage of pollen at −60 °C for more than 3 weeks can prevent an infestation of P. interpunctella in bumble bee colonies via pollen. Storage at −20 °C is less effective. Although P. interpunctella larvae slightly prefer pollen as their food source, they also feed on bumble bee pupae, especially when little pollen is present in a bumble bee colony. Spraying with the microbial insect pathogen Bacillus thuringiensis Aizawai at a concentration of 1 g/L water can control P. interpunctella (99.8% mortality) without harm to the bumble bee colonies. Higher concentrations have a negative impact on bumble bee colonies. Other B. thuringiensis strains, Kurstaki and Kurstaki Plus, are less effective.

The effect of plant nutrition on the expression of abdominal discoloration in Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot was investigated. Phytoseiulus persimilis were fed spider mites, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), that were reared on bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L. (Fabaceae), plants treated with distilled water or one of three concentrations of 20–20–20 fertilizer (0.6, 2.4, and 3.8 g/L). Symptoms observed in P. persimilis included white stripes along the sides of the body in the region of the Malpighian tubules, white coloration of the rectum, or a combination of these symptoms. The proportion of observations of white symptoms in P. persimilis increased in an asymptotic curvilinear fashion as fertilizer concentration increased. There was no significant difference in life-history characteristics of P. persimilis from the four treatments, including total fecundity, mean daily oviposition, oviposition period, post-oviposition period, or adult survival. Peak oviposition for mites from all treatments (4.9 eggs per female per day) occurred 2–3 days following mating. Thereafter, mean fecundity was greater than 4 eggs per female per day until day 11, and greater than 3 eggs per female per day until day 15, followed by a sharp decline. Following death, individual mites were examined for microsporidia, but none were detected. Results suggest that the expression of white abdominal discoloration in P. persimilis is related, at least in part, to plant nutrition; symptoms are an expression of normal excretory function in P. persimilis; and white abdominal discoloration does not necessarily affect predator performance.

As early as 1844, it was stated that the size of the host may influence the size of parasitoid adults (Ratzeburg 1844) and that parasitoid size may affect fecundity (Salt 1941). Although positive relationships between host and parasitoid body size have been supported in the literature (Tillman and Cate 1993; Heimpel and Rosenheim 1995), this relationship is not universal to all host–parasitoid systems (King 1991; Morse 1994). Although the relationship between host size and body size of parasitoid adults has been observed for some bark beetle parasitoids (Bushing 1967; Samson 1984), the relationship between body size and fecundity has not been studied for bark beetle parasitoids. Roptrocerus xylophagorum Ratzeburg (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) is a bark beetle parasitoid with a wide host range that includes beetles in the genera Dendroctonus, Ips, and Scolytus (Bushing 1967).