This study aimed to determine differences in activities between two male morphs of the dung beetle Copris acutidens Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) during the reproductive period and to examine the size distribution of reproductive males that stayed in nests. The activities of two male morphs distinguished by a threshold value of body size were compared with those by horn length. Regardless of body size or horn length, earlier activity of minor males was observed during the reproductive period. The sex ratio showed the greatest female bias when minor males were the more abundant than major males, indicating that minor males were the most active when competition was the weakest and these could avoid direct combat with major males. In morphs distinguished by horn length, more major males than minor males stayed in nests with females although the major males became the most active from the middle of the reproductive period. Thus, longer horns may directly confer a competitive advantage to males, enabling them to stay in nests with females, whereas early activity of minor males does not always indicate the effect of horn length directly. Therefore, this behaviour may occur regardless of whether the morphs differ in body size or horn length.

Population density is often a critical factor in colonisation of trees by bark and wood-boring insects and may determine whether an exotic species is likely to establish and spread. In a manipulative field study, we investigated whether density of the attacking population of an exotic invasive woodwasp, Sirex noctilio Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Siricidae), affected survival and time-to-death of a favoured host tree, Pinus sylvestris Linnaeus (Pinaceae). We introduced mating pairs of woodwasps to stressed P. sylvestris at either high (15 mating pairs, nine trees) or low (two mating pairs, nine trees) density. More trees died, and more quickly, when exposed to the high versus low density of S. noctilio (78% versus 33% of trees). In the high-density treatment, year of tree death was synonymous with production of a S. noctilio F1 cohort (one-year or two-year generation time); this pattern was not as consistent in the low-density treatment. Although sample size was limited, our results indicate that attack density affects S. noctilio colonisation of P. sylvestris.

Global change research has shown how altering factors like temperature and precipitation can impact insect ecology. However, despite global changes in wind patterns, the effects of altering wind have been relatively unexplored, and even less is understood about indirect effects on insects. To better understand indirect effects of wind on pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris); Hemiptera: Aphididae), we performed two experiments using different techniques for simulating mechanical stimulation effects from wind. First, we used either a brush or leaf to simulate plant-to-plant contact caused by wind. Then we tested the indirect effects of wind by distinguishing between wind and wind plus plant contact produced by adjacent plants. In the first experiment, aphid fecundity was reduced on plants with the leaf-to-plant treatment compared to the control. In the second experiment, wind treatments reduced pea aphid fecundity, but wind did not interact with plant density. Our results further the idea that altering wind patterns can influence plant–insect interactions. We also show that more research is necessary to disentangle how and why wind indirectly influences herbivores. Future research should focus on how pea aphid responses to wind change due to the methodology of wind exposure and interactions with additional biotic and abiotic factors.

This study investigated insect diversity of olive (Olea europaea Linnaeus (Oleaceae)) groves grown in arid and semiarid climates in northeastern Algeria. Using several sampling techniques, a total of 1326 insect specimens were collected and identified into 151 species, 124 genera, 65 families, and 10 orders. Hymenoptera and Coleoptera were quantitatively the most abundant, whereas the dominant functional feeding groups were phytophages then predators. The entomofauna included several olive pests such as Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae), Parlatoria oleae (Colvée) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), Euphyllura olivina (Costa) (Hemiptera: Liviidae), and Liothrips oleae Costa (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae). Although insect diversity parameters recorded for both observed and expected species richness were higher in olive groves grown under semiarid compared with arid climate, the completeness rate of species richness obtained using the nonparametric incidence estimators was higher in arid olive groves. Generalised linear models showed that the number of individuals and species richness varied significantly between climates (P < 0.01), whereas the variation of the rest of diversity parameters was not significant. Diversity traits of insect assemblage of each climatic region were positively correlated. Besides, the Mantel permutation test revealed similar patterns (r = 0.91, P < 0.0001) between correlation matrices of the two climates. When increasing the number of samples, species richness extrapolation revealed that diversity is expected to increase by 130% in olive groves grown under arid climate and 93% in semiarid climate. These increases are related to continuous appearance of rare and scarce insects as demonstrated by species rarefaction curves. Even with high evenness values of insect communities, similarity was low between climate indicating the rarity and scarcity of populations.

The tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) (Hemiptera: Miridae), causes severe damages in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duchesne ex Rozier; Rosaceae) fields in Québec, Canada. Currently, only chemical insecticides successfully control that major pest. Lygus lineolaris aggregate in trap crops such as buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench; Polygonaceae) and white mustard (Sinapis alba Linnaeus; Brassicaceae) but do not remain long enough on these plants to significantly reduce damages on strawberries. However, the attractiveness of the trap crop gives the opportunity to gather L. lineolaris in an area of the field where chemical treatments could be applied more efficiently. The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of the combination of trap crop (buckwheat and white mustard) and chemical treatments to control L. lineolaris. Randomised complete-block design included treatment with either no trap crop, buckwheat, or white mustard row planted close to strawberry plants. Half blocks were treated with insecticide (cypermethrin) sprayed on strawberry plants (in treatment without trap crop) or directly on trap crop. We found that L. lineolaris was more abundant on buckwheat than on white mustard or strawberry plants. Insecticide application on trap crops reduced the population on these hosts, but did not reduce L. lineolaris on adjacent strawberry plants. Behavioural avoidance and physiological pesticide resistance could explain this result.

Aphidius ervi Haliday (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a major natural enemy of several agricultural pests in North America. Yet little is known about its overwintering strategy, especially concerning the plastic response to photoperiod and temperature that induce diapause. Information on parasitoid overwintering patterns is of great importance if we aim to predict their phenology and better inform pest outbreak control. Moreover, there is increasing evidence of plastic and genetic changes in overwintering strategies in insect from temperate areas following climate change. We set up a laboratory approach to better understand the factors acting on diapause induction in A. ervi. We studied the diapause incidence in a population from Québec, Canada, using the combination of two temperatures (14 °C and 20 °C) and three photoperiod treatments (10:14, 12:12, 14:10 [light:dark] hours). We found an effect of both factors on diapause incidence; A. ervi expressed close to 95% of diapause at the most fall-like conditions (14 °C, 10:14 [light:dark] hours) and almost no diapause (3.5%) at the most summer-like conditions tested (20 °C, 14:10 [light:dark] hours). This parasitoid species does have the potential to enter diapause in Québec before lethal frosts, despite a recent introduction from France (1960s), where mild winter occurs compared with Québec.

The natural history and distribution of Dictyla echii (Schrank) (Hemiptera: Tingidae), a lace bug native to the Palaearctic, was investigated during 2014–2017 in southwestern Québec and southeastern Ontario, Canada. This apparently univoltine species is associated with Echium vulgare Linnaeus (Boraginaceae) and overwintered as adults in soil in a state of reproductive diapause. Eggs were almost entirely inserted in soft green stems and rarely in tissues of the upper leaf surface of the host plant. Adults and nymphs fed on rosettes, stems, and flower shoots, causing a chlorotic appearance of foliage, and stunted floral shoots. The external morphology of adults and immature stages are described and illustrated. Feeding, mating, oviposition, fecundity, incubation period, development of eggs in ovarioles, hatching of eggs, and emergence of first instars were studied and illustrated. The distribution of D. echii in North America and the Palaearctic is mapped.

Cabbage seedpod weevil (Ceutorhynchus obstrictus Marsham; Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Lygus Hahn (Hemiptera: Miridae) species are part of the late season insect pest complex of canola (Brassica Linnaeus; Brassicacea) in the southern prairies of Canada. From 2010 to 2013, large strips in 73 commercial fields were studied in southern Alberta to validate action thresholds for cabbage seedpod weevil and assess the impact of insecticide spraying at the early flower stage for cabbage seedpod weevils on abundance of Lygus at the pod stage. Only fields planted in April accumulated the damaging populations of cabbage seedpod weevils, such that the application of an insecticide resulted in significant yield protection. The economic injury level for the cabbage seedpod weevil was calculated at 20 cabbage seedpod weevils per 10 sweeps, but an action threshold of 25–40 is recommended because sampling mainly occurs along the edge where cabbage seedpod weevils are initially concentrated. At the pod stage, Lygus were lower in strips sprayed with insecticides at the early flower stage than in those not sprayed, but the differences were not statistically significant. Furthermore, Lygus were generally below economically damaging levels in early seeded fields. Therefore, there is no benefit of spraying early seeded fields to attempt to prevent Lygus outbreaks when cabbage seedpod weevils are below thresholds because Lygus may pose a risk only in fields planted later in the season.

Approximately 70% of the 30 000 known bee (Hymenoptera) species and most flower-visiting, solitary wasps (Hymenoptera) nest in the ground. However, nesting behaviours of most ground-nesting bees and wasps are poorly understood. Habitat loss, including nesting habitat, threatens populations of ground-nesting bees and wasps. Most ground-nesting bee and wasp studies implement trapping methods that capture foraging individuals, but provide little insight into the nesting preferences of these taxa. Some researchers have suggested that emergence traps may provide a suitable means by which to determine ground-nesting bee and wasp abundance. We sought to evaluate nest-site selection of ground-nesting bees and wasps using emergence traps in two study systems: (1) planted wildflower enhancement plots and fallow control plots in agricultural land; and (2) upland pine and hammock habitat in forests. Over the course of three years (2015–2017), we collected 306 ground-nesting bees and wasps across all study sites from emergence traps. In one study, we compared captures per trap between coloured pan traps and emergence traps and found that coloured pan traps captured far more ground-nesting bees and wasps than did emergence traps. Based on our emergence trap data, our results also suggest ground-nesting bees and wasps are more apt to nest within wildflower enhancement plots than in fallow control plots, and in upland pine habitats than in hammock forests. In conclusion, emergence traps have potential to be a unique tool to gain understanding of ground-nesting bee and wasp habitat requirements.

The occurrence of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Steiner and Buhrer) (Nematoda: Aphelenchida: Parasitaphelenchidae) (pinewood nematode) in Canada prevents export of wood products, including Christmas trees (Pinaceae), to Europe. A nationwide survey in 1992 extracted B. xylophilus from mature, dead, or dying balsam fir (Abies balsamea (Linnaeus) Miller; Pinaceae), but not young, healthy Christmas trees. Three species known to harbour B. xylophilus are found in Nova Scotia, but incidence of B. xylophilus within these species is unknown. Monochamus Dejean (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) species were collected from nine and 20 sites, in 2014 and 2015, respectively, using panel traps baited with a Monochamus lure and evaluated for the presence of pinewood nematode using molecular methods after DNA isolation. Beetles were processed for DNA isolation individually in 2014 and in batches (same species and sex from same collection site and date) in 2015. Bursaphelenchus xylophilus was recovered from all three Monochamus species (M. marmorator Kirby, M. notatus (Drury), and M. scutellatus (Say)) captured in Nova Scotia Christmas tree plantations. Percentage of beetles harbouring B. xylophilus varied with species and sex. Fourteen beetle samples were selected and sent for polymerase chain reaction sequencing. Sequencing results indicated that Bursaphelenchus xylophilus found in Nova Scotia are most similar to isolates from Canada (New Brunswick and Québec), the United States of America, and China.

The insecticide chlorantraniliprole is recommended for integrated pest management programmes of caterpillar (Lepidoptera) pest species. This insecticide is considered harmless to parasitoids, but its selectivity may vary with the species of natural enemy, few of which were subjected to testing. Furthermore, in addition to the active ingredient, formulation adjuvants may improve insecticide efficiency, but also its impact on nontargeted organisms. Here the chlorantraniliprole effect and its interaction with adjuvant on the survival and qualitative parameters of progeny of the nontarget parasitoid Palmistichus elaeisis (Delvare and LaSalle) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) were studied. The treatments used were: chrolantraniliprole (T1), chlorantraniliprole+surfactant (T2), and deionised water (T3, control). Pupae of Diaphania hyalinata Linnaeus (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) were subjected to these treatments for 24 hours and offered to the adult parasitoids. Chlorantraniliprole and chlorantraniliprole+surfactant did not elicit direct toxicity to female parasitoids. However, chlorantraniliprole and its combination with surfactant reduced the head capsule width of the female progeny. This insecticide alone also reduced emergence and the progeny metatibia length. Chlorantraniliprole did not induce mortality of P. elaeisis adults, but its negative impact on the emergence and progeny size of this parasitoid suggests an important sublethal effect to be considered.

Swede midge (Contarinia nasturtii (Kieffer); Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) is a serious invasive pest of Brassica Linnaeus (Brassicaceae) oilseed and vegetable crops in Canada and the United States of America. Pheromone mating disruption is a promising new tactic for managing this difficult pest, but research is needed to determine how pheromone delivery can be optimised. With an understanding of swede midge diel mating patterns, pest managers could limit pheromone release to periods when midges are sexually active. We conducted a series of 24-hour trials to test whether swede midge exhibit diel periodicity of emergence, female calling, and male capture in pheromone traps. We found that females began releasing pheromones almost immediately following emergence within the first five hours after dawn. In the field, we found that males were most active from dawn until late morning, indicating that midges mate primarily during the first five hours of photophase. Low levels of reproductive activity during midday and nighttime hours present opportunities to turn off dispensers and reduce the cost of pheromone inputs in a swede midge mating disruption system.

Euscelidius variegatus (Kirschbaum) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) is a leafhopper known to vector phytoplasmas in cultivated vines (Vitis vinifera Linnaeus (Vitaceae)) of western Europe. Its occurrence has been recorded in western North America more than 60 years ago, but so far not in eastern North America, including Canada. In the last 15 years, three specimens have been found in Ontario near and around vineyards. Here we report the first record of E. variegatus in Canada and eastern North America.

Western hemlock, Tsuga heterophylla (Rafinesque) Sargent (Pinaceae), trees growing in a clonal, commercial seed orchard on Whidbey Island, Washington, United States of America were assessed for Adelges tsugae (Annand) (Hemiptera: Adelgidae) infestation levels to determine whether there was any evidence of resistance to this herbivore. Join-count statistics revealed that A. tsugae infested trees were not clumped, but instead were randomly distributed throughout the seed orchard. Chi-square analyses suggested that there is a genetic basis for different levels of A. tsugae infestation among the genets represented in the orchard. However, since none of the genets were completely free of A. tsugae infestation, differences among genets seem to be related more to susceptibility or tolerance than complete resistance. Among the 17 genets that had five or more ramets in the seed orchard, only one had more than one ramet free of A. tsugae. That genet had four of five ramets that were free of A. tsugae. However, it is not possible to say whether that was due to chance or inherent tree characteristics that make it less susceptible to A. tsugae infestation.

Empirically-based economic injury levels are lacking for pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris (Hemiptera: Aphididae), as a direct pest of dry peas, Pisum sativum Linnaeus (Fabaceae). To address this need, the relationship between pea aphid density and yield of dry pea (cultivar Aragorn) were quantified by encaging pea aphids at varying densities for 17-day infestation periods during 2009 and 2010 in Moscow, Idaho, United States of America. Pea aphid density after infestation at the early reproductive stage of the crop (x) significantly reduced dry pea seed yield (relative weight of US #1 dry peas, y): y = 0.7733 − 0.00998x + 0.000037x2. Economic injury levels were computed based on this relationship and incorporating the cost of control, crop market value, insecticide efficacy, and crop yield potential. The resulting economic injury levels ranged from five to 19 pea aphids per plant at the start of early reproductive growth stages of dry peas. For usability these were converted to sweep net sample size equivalents of 86–307 pea aphids per twenty-five 180-degree sweeps with a standard sweep net. These economic injury levels are applicable in the inland Pacific Northwest, United States of America, where they were developed and likely in other regions with similar climatic and agronomic conditions.

Adelges tsugae Annand (Hemiptera: Adelgidae) has caused extensive mortality of hemlocks (Tsuga (Endlicher) Carrière; Pinaceae) in the eastern United States of America and was discovered recently in Nova Scotia, Canada. We evaluated the use of a Velcro-covered racquetball as a sampling device for A. tsugae wool. Specifically, we report on improvements to an earlier design and evaluate several factors seen in routine sampling that influence the ability of the ball to trap and retain adelgid wool. Velcro was found to be critical for trapping and retaining adelgid wool on the ball during flight and landing. Wooden beads, inserted in the ball, reduced deflection during flight and bounce during landing. Higher probability of trapping wool on the ball was associated with an ascent through the crown, with increasing diameter and density of ovisacs on branch tips, and with increasing abundance of woolly twigs on the forest floor. Higher probability of retaining wool on the ball was associated with Velcro surface area and with amount and location of wool loaded on the ball. These modifications improved detection surveys for A. tsugae in general.

One new genus of Inocelliidae (Raphidioptera) with one new species and one undetermined specimen is described from the Eocene of North America: Paraksenocellia borealisnew genus, new species from the early Eocene (Ypresian) Okanagan Highlands shale at Driftwood Canyon, British Columbia, Canada (a forewing), and Paraksenocellia species from the middle Eocene (Lutetian) of the Coal Creek Member of the Kishenehn Formation, northwestern Montana, United States of America (a hind wing). These are the oldest records of the family. The new genus possesses many character states that are rare in Inocelliidae, e.g., a very long pterostigma extending to ScP in both the forewings and hind wings; the forewing subcostal space has three crossveins; the forewing and hind wing AA1 are deeply forked; the crossvein between CuA and CuP is located far distad the crossvein 1r-m. Paraksenocellia is confidently a member of the Inocelliidae, as it possesses a proximal shift of the basal crossvein 1r-m (connecting R and M) in the forewing and the loss of the basal crossvein 1r-m in the hind wing, both apomorphies of the family. It shares some character states with the Mesozoic Mesoraphidiidae, which we consider to be mostly stem-group plesiomorphies.

We describe the first dragonflies (Odonata: Anisoptera) from the early Eocene Okanagan Highlands of far-western North America from nine fossils. Six are assigned to five species in four new, named genera of Aeshnidae: Antiquiala snyderaenew genus and species, Idemlinea versatilisnew genus and species, Ypshna brownleeinew genus and species, Ypshna latipennatanew genus and species, and Eoshna thompsonensisnew genus and species; we treat one as Aeshnidae genus A, species A; one is assigned to Gomphidae: Auroradraco eosnew genus and species; and we treat a ninth, fragmentary fossil of unknown family affinity as Anisoptera indeterminate genus A, species A, which represents a seventh genus and eighth species. The dominance of Aeshnidae is consistent with other Paleocene and Eocene fossil localities. Auroradraco eos is the only fossil Gomphidae in the roughly 66-million-year gap between occurrences in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber and the early Oligocene of France. Ypshna appears close to Parabaissaeshna ejerslevense from the early Eocene Fur Formation of Denmark; this is not surprising given Holarctic intercontinental connections at this time and a growing list of insect taxa shared between the Okanagan Highlands and the Fur Formation.

Tebufenozide (Mimic) kills Lepidoptera larvae that ingest it. Aerial applications of tebufenozide were made against spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens)) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in boreal forest in Manitoba, Canada, in 1999 and 2000. In 2000 and 2001, moths in sprayed and unsprayed plots were sampled with light traps; trapping was supplemented by foliage sampling. Relative to unsprayed plots, catches of spruce budworm moths in plots sprayed in 1999 and 2000 were depressed in 2000, but not in 2001. Host tree defoliation was reduced in 2000 by 1999 and 2000 applications; the 2000 application reduced numbers of spruce budworm larvae in 2000 and 2001. Multivariate analysis revealed negative effects of tebufenozide application on two species of non-target moths in 2000 and no negative effects in 2001. Negatively affected species have larvae feeding in the tree canopy at the time of spray application. Higher catches of non-target species in sprayed treatments were observed for three species in 2000 and two species in 2001. We conclude that tebufenozide can depress the numbers of spruce budworm larvae and provide foliage protection during the year of application and the following year, and that negative effects on non-target species are detectable for about 15 months after application.