The pinewood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Steiner and Buhrer) Nickle (Aphelenchida: Parasitaphelenchidae), is a major disease of pines forests in China. Its vector, Monochamus alternatus Hope (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), has been the focus of an intensive study to improve the efficiency of the parasitoid Scleroderma guani Xiao and Wu (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) by using the parasitoid both as a larval parasitoid in its own right and additionally as a vector for the entomophagous pathogen Metarhizium anisopliae (Metchnikoff) Sorokin (Clavicipitaceae). Twenty-one M. anisopliae strains were screened and the best four tested for sporulation capabilities at a range of temperatures. The best strain was then evaluated at several sporulation concentrations to define the lethal concentration 50 (LC50) against the larvae of M. alternatus. Scleroderma guani was inoculated with the best strain and tested against larvae of M. alternatus, which were constrained singly in glass vials. Three S. guani females per vial infected with M. anisopliae (strain 789) were shown to cause the death of 100% of the M. alternatus larvae they were exposed to as compared exposures to just one or two infected S. guani females per vial. This demonstrates a successful interaction of two biocontrol agents for the control of the pinewood nematode vector M. alternatus.

Sampling a cosmopolitan mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) species throughout its range is logistically challenging and extremely resource intensive. Mosquito control programmes and regional networks operate at the local level and often conduct sampling activities across much of North America. A method for large-scale sampling of two mosquito species using crowdsourcing to network with these local and regional programmes is described. A total of 961 mosquito vector and control districts, health departments, and individual collectors across the United States of America and Canada were contacted in 2011 and 2012 of which 9% positively responded by sending mosquitoes. In total, 1101 unique population samples of Aedes vexans (Meigen) and Culex tarsalis Coquillett were collected throughout their range in these two countries. Aedes vexans outgroup samples were also submitted from Europe and Asia. This is the largest crowd-sourced collection of samples to date.

The maple leafcutter moth (Paraclemensia acerifoliella (Fitch) (Lepidoptera: Incurvariidae) has been discovered in western Canada, feeding on saskatoon (Amelanchier alnifolia (Nuttall) Nuttall ex Roemer (Rosaceae)), a previously undocumented host. New records are detailed, and historical records are reviewed and assessed. Western populations are compared morphologically, genetically, and ecologically to populations feeding on maple (Acer Linnaeus; Sapindaceae) in eastern Canada. Paraclemensia Busck species host plants are discussed in relation to the hypothesised phylogenetic history of the genus. Although maple feeding is hypothesised to be the ancestral condition in the genus Paraclemensia, Rosaceae feeding (including Amelanchier) is hypothesised to be a derived capability of the P. acerifoliella species group.

Stem-group Phasmatodea, known as the Susumanioidea, are previously established from the Jurassic through the Paleocene. Here, we extend this record to the early Eocene with five new fossils: two forewings from the Klondike Mountain Formation exposures at Republic, Washington, United States of America, and three partially complete specimens from the McAbee locality in southern British Columbia, Canada. We assign both of the Republic specimens to the new genus and species Eoprephasma hichensinew genus, new species. Two of the McAbee fossils appear to represent two further new species, which we refer to as Susumanioidea species A and B for lack of clearly preserved diagnostic species-level character states. The third might belong to one of these two species, but this is unclear. In all three, the mesothorax and metathorax are not notably extended, the forewings are not shortened, the foreleg femur is straight, and species A possesses an extended, external ovipositor with an operculum (unknown in the other specimens). These conditions are rare and never found in combination in Euphasmatodea. All other stem-group Phasmatodea younger than the Early Cretaceous of China are only known from isolated wings.

Roptrocerus xylophagorum (Ratzeburg) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) is a common Holarctic parasitoid of the larvae and pupae of bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scotytinae). In no-choice laboratory bioassays, we found that male wasps derived either from northern California or southwestern Mississippi, United States of America more frequently displayed sexual behaviours (including mounting, wing fanning, and copulation attempts) to glass bulb decoys treated with hexane cuticular washes of females derived from the same parasitoid population rather than the distant population. This result suggests that the composition of the cuticular hydrocarbon sex pheromone has diverged between eastern and western populations and is consistent with previous data indicating that R. xylophagorum may consist of more than one species.

Six resistant spring wheat cultivars with the Sm1 gene were assessed for seed damage by the orange wheat blossom midge (Sitodiplosis mosellana (Géhin) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)) in laboratory and field tests. All resistant cultivars deterred larvae from developing on the seed and had significantly less yield losses than susceptible wheat cultivars. Vesper was the first cultivar with Sm1 that also deterred oviposition by the wheat midge. Seed damage to all resistant cultivars decreased the later plants were exposed to adult midge from the time spikes emerged from the boot until anthesis. Spikes of susceptible wheat cultivars had lower yield losses when exposed two or more days after emergence than spikes exposed at the time of emergence. Seed damage to resistant wheat caused dorsal and lateral distortions of the seed and often altered seed colour and shape. The pedigree of the resistant cultivars had no effect on the extent of seed damage. Shaw wheat had the least amount of seed damage and no third instars on the seed in both field and laboratory tests. All other cultivars had a few small third instars and similar levels of seed damage in laboratory tests, with Fieldstar being the least effective. In at least one mean site-year Shaw had significantly less yield losses than the other resistant cultivars. It is recommended that Shaw be used as the standard for the selection of future spring wheat cultivars with Sm1.

Cut-points to distinguish larval instars of the mountain pine beetle (MPB), Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), from the measurement of head-capsule width were determined using a maximum likelihood approach. The cut-points that distinguish the four instars are suitable to classify individual larvae from field populations collected from lodgepole pine Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelmann (Pinaceae) or jack pine (P. banksiana Lambert)×lodgepole pine hybrids throughout most of the beetle’s current range in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. The ability to designate the instar of field-collected larvae will facilitate the calibration of phenology and populations models that assess the climatic suitability of habitats and the potential for MPB to continue expanding its range.

Plusieurs espèces de moustiques (Diptera: Culicidae) sont des vecteurs de zoonoses d’incidence médicale et vétérinaire considérables. Une modification de la distribution géographique de ces vecteurs majoritairement engendrée par des facteurs anthropiques est actuellement accompagnée de (ré-)émergences de maladies infectieuses en Europe et en Amérique du Nord. Depuis l’avènement des insecticides de synthèse lors de la seconde guerre mondiale, les moustiques font l’objet de recherches de plus en plus étendues et approfondies. Dans une vision de lutte intégrée, les moyens de lutte anti-vectorielle se répartissent aujourd’hui selon quatre axes principaux: (1) la gestion environnementale et le contrôle physique, (2) le contrôle chimique, (3) le contrôle génétique, et (4) le contrôle biologique par le biais d’entomophages et de micro-organismes entomopathogènes. Dans ce contexte, ces derniers ont un potentiel intéressant car ils possèdent la capacité d’infecter et de tuer l’hôte avec une sélectivité plus ou moins prononcée. Cet article se propose de resituer le contrôle biologique parmi les autres techniques dans la lutte anti-vectorielle contre les moustiques, et de faire état des potentialités et des perspectives offertes par les bactéries, virus et champignons entomopathogènes. Leur utilisation sous forme de biopesticides est enfin discutée.

In Manitoba, Canada, commercial soybeans and two types of field beans, navy and pinto, were sampled for plant bugs. At the centre and margins of 36 fields, sweep net and tap tray samples were taken weekly. In all three crops, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) (Hemiptera: Miridae) comprised >78% and Adelphocoris lineolatus (Goeze) (Hemiptera: Miridae) <10% of adult mirids. Species composition varied among years but not among crops. For Lygus Hahn, nymphs were 46% of the catch in trays and 23% in sweeps, but total Lygus catch in trays was >2% of that in sweeps. Catch/sample effort was similar at field centres and margins for both Lygus adults and nymphs. Lygus lineolaris reproduced and developed in all three crops. In field beans, Lygus adults were first collected in late vegetative and early pod set stages and late instar nymphs and adults were present from pod elongation until maturity – results consistent with immigration of first summer generation reproductive adults and development of the second generation in the crops. There was evidence of late season immigration of Lygus into all crops. There was no loss of seed quantity attributable to mirids in any of the crops; in field beans there was no evidence that mirids reduced seed quality.

Understanding factors that influence attraction of tephritid fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) to objects can lead to development of more sensitive traps for fly detection. Here, the objective was to determine if differences in attractiveness between two sticky yellow rectangle traps to western cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis indifferens Curran, depend on ambient light intensity and direction. The translucent plastic Yellow Sticky Strip (YSS) was compared with the less translucent yellow cardboard Alpha Scents (AS). Flies were released inside a box or cage opposite a trap or traps illuminated from outside at different intensities to generate variable light passage. Regardless of type, the trap with greatest light passage was most attractive. When the same light intensity was shone on both traps, the YSS, which allowed greater light passage, was more attractive than the AS. When the light was inside a cage and shone onto the two traps in the same direction as approaching flies, the AS reflected more light and was more attractive. A field experiment generally supported light passage effects seen in the laboratory. Results suggest trap placement with respect to sunlight intensity and direction affects light passage and the attractiveness of yellow traps to R. indifferens.