Larvae of Cochylis hospes (Walsingham) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) (banded sunflower moth) are a primary source of insect damage to seeds of cultivated sunflower, Helianthus annuus Linnaeus (Asteraceae), in North America. Field trials were used to evaluate seed damage under natural infestations for panels of publicly released male lines, publicly derived hybrids (females crossed to one common male parent), and commercial hybrids over a total of four years. For trials in 2013–2014 including 17 male lines, seed damage ranged from 3% to 19%. The least damaged male, RHA 266, was statistically similar to one other male, RHA 455. Three commercial hybrids used as checks also received very little seed damage (< 5%). In trials during 2016–2017, hybrids created by pollinating 15 different female lines with RHA 266 showed 4–14% damage. Data from female parents explained about 28% of variation in seed damage for the hybrids. Results confirm cultivated sunflower has greater variation in susceptibility to C. hospes than previously believed, and that seed damage to inbred lines provides some predictive power for hybrids. Though breeding for resistance to C. hospes seems possible, it may be too labour-intensive without relating resistance to more easily measurable traits or genetic markers.

The striped flea beetle, Phyllotreta striolata (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is a major pest of canola (Brassica Linnaeus, Brassicaceae) on the Canadian prairies. The previously published methods to rear striped flea beetles under laboratory conditions are not sufficient to maintain laboratory colonies over a sustained period of time. Here, we describe two methods to rear striped flea beetles in the laboratory. The first method produces both immature stages and adult flea beetles using Napa cabbage (Brassica napa subsp. pekinensis (Loureiro) Hanelt) and canola as food sources. Beetles reared using this method produced an average of 9.7 ± 4.5 eggs, had a juvenile development period of between 26 and 33 days, and had an adult longevity between 17 and 55 days. Between 62% and 90% of the colony-reared eggs resulted in the successful development to an adult beetle. The second method uses canola as the only host, and facilitates easy access to high quantities of adult beetles. This method resulted in a six-fold to nine-fold increase in adult numbers per generation. Developmental time from adult to adult ranged from 25 to 30 days. Our two methods facilitated rearing striped flea beetles for several generations in the laboratory with or without hibernation.

An insect trap constructed using three-dimensional (3D) printing technology was tested in potato (Solanum tuberosum Linnaeus; Solanaceae) fields to determine whether it could substitute for the standard yellow sticky card used to monitor Bactericera cockerelli (Šulc) (Hemiptera: Psylloidea: Triozidae). Sticky cards have shortcomings that prompted search for a replacement: cards are messy, require weekly replacement, are expensive to purchase, and accumulate large numbers of nontarget insects. Bactericera cockerelli on sticky cards also deteriorate enough that specimens cannot be tested reliably for the presence of vectored plant pathogens. A prototype trap constructed using 3D printing technology for monitoring Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psylloidea: Liviidae) was tested for monitoring B. cockerelli. The trap was designed to attract B. cockerelli visually to the trap and then funnel specimens into preservative-filled vials at the trap bottom. Prototype traps were paired against yellow sticky cards at multiple fields to compare the captures of B. cockerelli between cards and traps. The prototype trap was competitive with sticky cards early in the growing season when B. cockerelli numbers were low. We estimated that two or three prototype traps would collect as many B. cockerelli as one sticky card under these conditions. Efficacy of the prototype declined as B. cockerelli numbers increased seasonally. The prototype trap accumulated nontarget taxa that are common on sticky cards (especially Thysanoptera and Diptera), and was also found to capture taxa of possible interest in integrated pest management research, including predatory insects, parasitic Hymenoptera, and winged Aphididae (Hemiptera), suggesting that the traps could be useful outside of the purpose targeted here. We believe that 3D printing technology has substantial promise for developing monitoring tools that exploit behavioural traits of the targeted insect. Ongoing work includes the use of this technology to modify the prototype, with a focus on making it more effective at capturing psyllids and less susceptible to capture of nontarget species.

Strawberry decline disease, predominantly viral in origin, was a serious threat to the strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duchesne ex Rozier; Rosaceae) fields of Québec, Canada, between 2012 and 2014. Our aim was to monitor the abundance and activity of the main insect vectors: the strawberry aphid, Chaetosiphon fragaefolii (Cockerell) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and the greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). First, we compared the effectiveness of two trapping techniques, the yellow sticky trap and the yellow pan trap. Results showed that the sticky traps are more effective in capturing alates in flight. Second, we determined the peak flight period for each of the two vectors in several locations within the province of Québec. Results suggest that the peak abundance of winged C. fragaefolii is during the first two weeks of August, while the peak abundance of T. vaporariorum is in the last two weeks of September. Overall trap captures also found 53 different species of winged aphids, and we documented a new distribution record on commercial strawberry fields in Québec, Aleyrodes spiraeoides (Quaintance) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). Species composition and significant information of flight periods will be useful for the management of virus-transmitting insects associated with strawberry decline disease in Québec.

In animals, the early-life environment influences growth and development, which can have lasting effects on life history and fitness into adulthood. We investigated the patterns of growth, pupal development time, and their covariation in Protopiophila litigata Bonduriansky (Diptera: Piophilidae) larvae of both sexes collected from three discarded moose (Alces alces (Linnaeus) (Artiodactyla: Cervidae)) antlers of varying size, chewing damage (used to infer relative age), and P. litigata density. Males tended to be smaller and their pupation lasted longer than females. One of the antlers was highly attractive to adult P. litigata, whereas the other two attracted few or none. Individuals from one antler of low attractiveness were smaller and took longer to eclose than individuals from either other antler, perhaps due to its high larval density. The relationship between body size and pupal development time also differed among antlers, being positively correlated in the most attractive antler and negatively correlated in the two other antlers.

We report the detection and adventive establishment of the samurai wasp, Trissolcus japonicus (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), a candidate classical biological control agent for the invasive Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Nine naturally laid, field-collected pentatomid egg masses were collected in 2017 and 2018, and two of these egg masses, belonging to Halyomorpha halys and Podisus maculiventris (Say) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), produced adults of T. japonicus. The identification of T. japonicus was confirmed using DNA barcoding as well as morphological characteristics. The remaining egg masses yielded adults of the native Telenomus podisi Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) and Anastatus reduvii (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae).

The primary insect pests in Canadian carrot production are carrot rust fly (Psila rosae (Fabricius); Diptera: Psilidae) and carrot weevil (Listronotus oregonensis (LeConte); Coleoptera: Curculionidae). An integrated pest management programme for these pests exists in Québec and Ontario, where most Canadian carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus (Hoffmann) Schübler and Martens; Apiaceae) production occurs. As current carrot insect integrated pest management recommendations are decades old, laboratory and field trials were performed to evaluate the carrot insect integrated pest management recommendations. Carrot weevil populations were evaluated in the laboratory for resistance to the primary product used for control, phosmet. Ontario carrot weevils exhibited negligible mortality when exposed to phosmet compared with > 80% mortality in a susceptible strain. Using data from a carrot integrated pest management programme, weather data was correlated with monitoring and damage data of both pests from historical records. Increased carrot weevil captures were weakly related to increased damage. Carrot weevil damage was reduced by following integrated pest management recommendations in one of three trials. No strong relationship between weather and carrot rust fly captures was identified, suggesting the degree day model for carrot rust fly activity needs revision. In field trials, carrot rust fly damage was negligible despite integrated pest management recommendations for insecticide applications. Future research should include improving carrot weevil monitoring and control and increasing the carrot rust fly action threshold to optimise insecticide applications.

Callipogon relictus Semenov (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is currently listed in the Red Data Books (Category I) of Russia and South Korea and, in 2006, was designated by the South Korean government as the first invertebrate priority target species in a restoration project. However, the species is also classified as an invasive quarantine pest by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Due to the five-year to seven-year life cycle of the species, experimental information about instar numbers has been poorly documented. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to document the instar numbers of non-diapause Callipogon relictus larvae reared on an artificial diet. Under conditions of 30 °C, 60% relative humidity, and constant dark (0:24 hour light-dark photoperiod), developmental pathways of 8, 10, and 12 instars were observed. The effect of temperature (20, 25, and 30 °C) on the duration of larval development was also examined to identify the optimum temperature for producing Callipogon relictus for conservational purposes. Larvae reared at 30 °C and 60% relative humidity, without a chill period, developed in seven to eight months, which is about one-tenth the duration of C. relictus development under natural conditions and the most rapid development of C. relictus observed to date.

Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), also known as the brown marmorated stink bug, is an invasive agricultural and nuisance pest. Knowledge of the life history of insect pests is important for informing pest management activities. Some North American populations of H. halys have two generations per year, and it is suspected that H. halys may have a partial second generation in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada. We determined the number of H. halys generations in Ontario by examining the reproductive development of field-caught adult females. The pattern of reproductive development we observed supports the conclusion that H. halys complete one generation per year in the Niagara Region of Ontario. Reproductively active H. halys were captured as early as May and continued until early September, and the peak of reproductively active individuals occurred between 250 and 550 degree days calculated with a sine-wave function and a lower threshold set to 14.17 °C.