Epilachna dodecastigma (Wiedemann) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is an important herbivorous pest of bitter gourd, Momordica charantia Linnaeus (Cucurbitaceae) plant in India and Bangladesh. Volatiles were collected from undamaged bitter gourd plants, and from plants 24 and 120 hours following the initiation of continuous adult female feeding damage, and subsequently identified and quantified by gas chromatography mass spectrometry and gas chromatography flame ionisation detector analyses. Of the 24 volatiles identified in the study, 22 were present in all three treatments (undamaged plants, 24 hours after feeding, and 120 hours after feeding), and all plants significantly increased emissions of these compounds following insect attack. In all plants, the compound 1-tridecanol was the most abundant, followed by phytol. Only two compounds were unique to insect damaged plants: methyl palmitate was characteristic of insect damaged plants, while nerolidol was only detected from plants 120 hours following insect attack, however neither of these insect-damage specific volatiles, when tested individually, elicited attraction in Y-shaped glass tube olfactometer bioassays. Epilachna dodecastigma showed significant preference for the whole volatile blends from insect damaged plants compared with whole volatile blends from undamaged plants. Further, the insect elicited attraction to three individual synthetic compounds: geraniol, 1-tridecanol, and phytol, which had significantly higher emissions from insect damaged leaves compared with those from undamaged plants.

The emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) is a very serious invasive pest in North America, causing extremely high levels of mortality to ash trees (Fraxinus Linnaeus, Oleaceae) in the United States of America and Canada. Knowledge of buprestid chemical ecology is sparse, but the appearance of EAB in North America and its devastating ecological and economic impacts, particularly in the urban environment, have provided an opportunity to study the semiochemistry, natural history, and ecology of this buprestid in detail. This review will summarise the chemical ecology of EAB to date, discussing studies on semiochemistry, natural history, and behaviour with respect to host and mate finding that have identified several female-produced pheromone components (contact and sex pheromones), and attractive host kairomones. Earlier reviews focused on studies of attractive host volatiles with respect to development of a trapping system and visual and contact phenomena in EAB mate finding. This has led to the development of an efficient trapping system for EAB, with attempts to optimise the range of variables in trap protocols, combining pheromone components, release rates, and combinations with host kairomones, as well as trap type, placement, height, and colour being taken into account.

Ticks are carried into Canada by millions of birds during spring migration, and some of these blood-sucking ectoparasites harbour tick-associated pathogens. During a pan-Canadian study of ticks on avian hosts, we identified an extralimital tick, Ixodes minor Neumann (Ixodida: Ixodidae) collected from a Common Yellowthroat, Geothlypis trichas (Linnaeus) (Passeriformes: Parulidae) at Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Although the I. minor larva was not tested for any tick-borne pathogens, this tick species is considered a competent enzootic vector of the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt, and Brenner sensu lato (s.l.). Epidemiologically, diverse B. burgdorferi s.l. genospecies have been detected in, or isolated from I. minor, and this tick species potentially represents a public health risk not only in the southeastern United States of America, where I. minor is indigenous, but also in Canada. This tick collection is the northernmost report of I. minor in North America, and constitutes the first documentation of this tick species in Canada.

I present the systematics and distribution of a new species of oribatid mite in the genus Metrioppia Grandjean, 1931 (Oribatida: Peloppiidae) from western North America. Metrioppia walbranensisnew species is diagnosed on the basis of adult morphology using the following character states: shape and dentition of the rostrum, length of lamellae, shape of lamellar cusps, length of the interlamellar setae, and number of posterior notogastral setae. The known distribution of M. walbranensis is provided based on sampling and museum collections. Metrioppia walbranensis has been collected only from a small number of locations on south-west Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, while its congener M. oregonensis Woolley and Higgins, 1969 has been collected widely within the Pacific Northwest, including sites on Vancouver Island. However, the two species do not appear to co-occur. Nucleotide sequence of the COI gene firmly places Metrioppia within the family Peloppiidae.

Over two summers following accidental May wildfires, total ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) forager catch and species richness did not change in jack pine woodlands on sand hills in central Alberta, Canada. However, one year after a fire, smaller ants, and those in smaller colonies, were more abundant in pitfall traps, based on analysis of response ratios for each ant species and relationships to a variety of life history and organismal traits. Nest type and polygyny had no effect on post-fire ant forager catch. The numerical responses of individual ant species appear to be idiosyncratic, but three species of ants that are sand specialists were found to be particularly resilient to fire.

Emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (EAB) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), has caused devastating levels of mortality to ash trees (Fraxinus Linnaeus, Oleaceae) in North America. Early infestations of this insect are extremely difficult to detect due to cryptic larval feeding and lack of obvious signs or symptoms of initial attack. Considerable research has been conducted to develop tools and techniques aimed towards providing early detection and delimitation of populations of this invasive species. Sampling tools and techniques include: (1) relating visual signs and symptoms to the presence of EAB infestations; (2) use of girdled trap-trees to increase captures of adults and subsequent larval densities; (3) sub-sampling protocols to detect larvae under the bark based on their within-tree distribution; (4) artificial traps baited with pheromones and/or host volatiles attractive to adult EAB; (5) biosurvellience using buprestid-hunting wasps; and (6) remote sensing techniques. Additional research modelling patterns of infestation at the landscape scale indicate very clumped or aggregated distributions, greatly increasing the difficulty of early detection across large spatial scales. Further research is still required to increase the efficacy and efficiency of early detection tools and techniques, including cost/benefit analysis of the various sampling options, increased understanding of patterns of initial infestation across the landscape, development of sampling programs for both detection and delimitation, and development of sequential sampling programs to estimate EAB density. This information will enable foresters to make informed decisions regarding management strategies against this devastating pest.

A honey bee (Apis mellifera Linnaeus; Hymenoptera: Apidae) queen’s life expectancy is strongly dependent on the number of sperm she obtains by mating with drones during nuptial flights. Unexplained replacement of queens by the colony and young queens showing sperm depletions have been reported in North America, and reduced drone fertility has been a suspected cause. The aim of this study was to evaluate drone reproductive qualities during the queen-rearing season, from May to August. Drones from two different genetic lines were reared six times during the 2012 beekeeping season at our research centre in Québec (Canada). Semen volume as well as sperm number and viability were assessed at the ages of 14, 21, and 35 days. Results showed (1) a greater proportion of older drones with semen at the tip of the genitalia after eversion; (2) an influence of rearing date on semen production; and (3) no influence of drone genetic line, age or time of breeding on sperm viability. These results highlight the necessity of better understanding drone rearing and how it can be improved to ensure optimum honey-bee queen mating.

Periodical cicadas in the genus Magicicada Davis (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of brood II emerged in the eastern United States of America in 2013. In Connecticut, only Magicicada septendecim (Linnaeus) had been recorded until this emergence when Magicicada septendecula Alexander and Moore was found on Totoket Mountain in North Branford, Connecticut, United States of America. This discovery represented the northeastern-most record of this species. In two 0.25-ha plots where M. septendecula and M. septendecim emerged and chorused, species of Carya Nuttall (Juglandaceae) comprised 59.9–63.7% of the total basal area, with Carya glabra (Miller) Sweet, accounting for 43.9–60.0%. In one plot, 31.6% of the total basal area was Fraxinus americana Linnaeus (Oleaceae). By using the proportion of exuviae of M. septendecula (hind tibial length<6.3 mm) and M. septendecim (length ⩾ 6.3 mm) near trees and the mean number of emergence holes per 0.25-m2 quadrat (1.88), it was estimated that 1487 M. septendecula and 17 313 M. septendecim emerged in one 0.25-ha plot. Mean tibial length of M. septendecula was significantly smaller in males (5.53 mm) than females (5.99 mm), and the sex ratio did not depart significantly from 1:1. Magicicada septendecula may be threatened by the decline of F. americana and Juglans cinerea Linnaeus (Juglandaceae), the first a known host and the second a suspected host.

Monochamol (2-undecyloxy-1-ethanol) is a male-produced aggregation pheromone for several Monochamus Dejean (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) species. We conducted trapping experiments in Canada, Poland, and China to test whether monochamol was attractive to additional Monochamus species and if attraction was synergised by plant volatiles and bark beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) pheromones. We provide the first evidence of attraction for M. urussovii (Fischer) and M. saltuarius (Gebler) to monochamol or monochamol+kairomones. The highest numbers of M. urussovii were captured in traps baited with monochamol+plant volatiles (Manuka oil, ethanol and (95/5±) α−pinene). Captures of M. saltuarius were highest in traps baited with monochamol, with the addition of cubeb oil tending to reduce captures. The highest numbers of M. scutellatus (Say) were captured in traps baited with monochamol+kairomones. A similar pattern in trap captures was found for M. notatus (Drury), M. marmorator Kirby, M. carolinensis (Olivier), and M. mutator LeConte. Detection rates, that is, proportion of traps capturing at least one specimen, was highest for traps baited with monochamol plus kairomones, particularly for less-common species. These results support the emerging hypothesis that pheromone compounds can attract related cerambycid species with cumulative evidence for attraction to monochamol for 12 species of Monochamus worldwide.

Field studies were carried out to assess diel activity patterns of the balsam gall midge, Paradiplosis tumifex Gagné (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in 2012, and its inquiline, Dasineura balsamicola (Lintner) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in 2013, in a young balsam fir (Abies balsamea (Linnaeus) Miller) stand in New Brunswick, Canada. Both gallmaker and inquiline are most active during the afternoon/evening hours (17:00–22:00 hours). Male gallmaker activity was largely confined to the space below the crown and typically involved short periods of flight of <30 seconds. Calling and mating by the gallmaker occurred at ground level and were followed by dispersal of females to the vegetative crown. Female gallmakers were typically observed in the tree crown beginning in early afternoon, with peak oviposition occurring between 20:00 and 21:00 hours. Female inquilines displayed similar activity patterns, although no calling or mating were observed. Moreover, inquiline flight and foraging for oviposition sites were more active than the gallmaker, with shorter rest periods and more buds visited than the gallmaker. Our results indicate that population monitoring should focus on female gallmakers as they fly during the evening. Also, before any treatment application, care should be taken to accurately identify the insects to ensure that the inquiline is not inadvertently killed.

Seasonal dynamics of louse (Phthiraptera) populations on feral pigeons, Columba livia Gmelin (Aves: Columbiformes: Columbidae) were investigated from 2003 to 2012 in southern Manitoba, Canada. Pigeons were infested with: Philopteridae – Campanulotes compar (Burmeister), Columbicola columbae (Linnaeus), and Coloceras tovornikae Tendeiro; Menoponidae – Hohorstiella lata (Piaget). We consider the hypothesis that four species living on the same host show similar seasonal dynamics, coordinated by the life history of the host. Adults of both sexes and nymphs of all four species were present on pigeons throughout the year, consistent with continuous feeding and reproduction. Campanulotes compar and C. columbae populations were low in spring and peaked in September, with C. columbae showing greater seasonal changes for all population parameters. Coloceras tovornikae showed two annual peaks in abundance in spring and late summer, and H. lata was most abundant in the cold months of the year. Over 10 years, the four species showed distinct seasonal dynamics, although they live on the same birds. Seasonal patterns provided no evidence that louse reproduction or abundance is coordinated by the long breeding and moulting seasons of the host.

The historical distribution of Glaucopsyche lygdamus (Doubleday) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in southern Ontario, Canada was analysed using three major databases. In southern Ontario, G. lygdamus includes (1) subspecies G. lygdamus couperi Grote that has expanded its range from the north since the 1940s and 1950s reaching Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 2012; (2) a non-expanding population on the Norfolk Sand Plain, Ontario, Canada that appears phenotypically closest to G. lygdamus couperi, but with some wing marking characters that are transitional to the more southern subspecies G. lygdamus lygdamus; and (3) rare and local pre-expansion populations referable to G. lygdamus couperi that occurred in the Ottawa Valley and Bruce Peninsula, Ontario, Canada in alvar woodlands, and possibly also on lakeshore dunes. The very rare and local occurrences of silvery blue in southern Ontario in the past is in direct contrast to its increasing abundance in the area in present times, but the genetic and phenotypic diversity of silvery blue may be declining due to genetic mixing with and/or to the effect of increasing parasitoids from the expanding race.

First detected in North America in 2002, the emerald ash borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire; Coleoptera: Buprestidae), an invasive phloem-feeding beetle from Asia, has killed tens of millions of ash (Fraxinus Linnaeus; Oleaceae) trees. Although few parasitoids attack EAB in North America, three parasitoid species were found attacking EAB in China: the egg parasitoid Oobius agrili Zhang and Huang (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) and two larval parasitoids Tetrastichus planipennisi Yang (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) and Spathius agrili Yang (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). In 2007, classical biological control of EAB began in the United States of America after release of these three species was approved. In 2013, release of the larval parasitoids was approved in Canada. Research continues at study sites in Michigan, United States of America where the establishment, prevalence, and spread of O. agrili and T. planipennisi have been monitored since 2008. However, establishment of S. agrili remains unconfirmed in northern areas, and its release is now restricted to regions below the 40th parallel. In 2015, approval for release of Spathius galinae Belokobylskij (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), an EAB larval parasitoid from the Russian Far East, may be granted in the United States of America. Researchers are guardedly optimistic that a complex of introduced and native natural enemies will regulate EAB densities below a tolerance threshold for survival of ash species or genotypes in forested ecosystems.

In an investigation of Camelina sativa (Linnaeus) Crantz (Brassicaceae) and five common insect pests of canola (Brassica napus Linnaeus) (Brassicaceae), little feeding damage to the plant was inflicted by crucifer-feeding specialist flea beetles (Phyllotreta Chevrolat species) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Delia Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) root maggots, or diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella Linnaeus (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)). In choice tests, diamondback moths laid fewer eggs on C. sativa than on B. napus leaves. Diamondback moth larvae consumed less C. sativa leaf tissue, and tended to have a longer developmental period on C. sativa. Larvae of the polyphagous bertha armyworm (Mamestra configurata Walker (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)) had similar feeding levels on C. sativa and B. napus plants. However, there was a longer developmental period from larval to pupal stage and pupae weighed less when fed on C. sativa foliage, suggesting that C. sativa contains antibiosis factors against bertha armyworm. Two strains of aster yellows phytoplasma, 16SrI-A and 16SrI-B, were identified in C. sativa and in Macrosteles quadrilineatus (Forbes) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae). Differences in incidence of aster yellows and abundance of M. quadrilineatus were observed among lines of C. sativa. The findings confirm that C. sativa is unlikely to support high populations of these insect pests on the Canadian prairies.

Mobility of flowers in the wind has been proposed to affect the performances of pollinators in landing on flowers, nectar extraction, and pollen dispersal. Our study examined the preferences of worker Bombus impatiens Cresson (Hymenoptera: Apidae) for landing on and feeding from immobile or mobile artificial flower. Mobile flowers moved at varied frequencies (0.1–3.0 Hz) and in different directions, horizontal H (left to right wave) and vertical V (from en-face presentation at the lowest point to horizontal presentation at the zenith). We found that the bees showed no preference for mobile or immobile flowers. In general, we found that landing ability (time spent from the bees entering the testing arena to landing and starting to feed on the artificial flower) decreased as frequency (Hz) or speed of motion (cm/second) increased. Directionality of waving affected performance with the bees being able to forage from horizontally moving flowers better than from vertically moving flowers. Experience played a major role in improving individual performances. We also found that the bees could differentiate between horizontally and vertically waving flowers as well as between frequencies or speeds of motion.

The influence of soil properties on the diversity of plants and moths (Lepidoptera) were examined in two South Korean high mountain forest localities (Mount Hallasan and Mount Jirisan) and one seashore mountain forest locality (Mount Seungdalsan). Six sites at each locality were included in the study. Soil physical and chemical properties and plant data were obtained from 20×20 m quadrats at every moth sampling site. Moth community data were obtained from the 18 sites. Stepwise regression analysis identified total tree basal area and tree species richness as significant determinants of moth species richness, and plant diversity index as a significant determinant of moth abundance. Total tree basal area was closely related to organic matter (OM), clay content, NaCl concentration, and pH, and plant diversity was closely related to clay content. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling ordination between plant and moth species across 18 sites and 17 soil variables showed that soil fertility factors (OM, total nitrogen content, and cation exchange capacity) were major variables. Our results indicate that soil, plants, and moths communities in temperate forests form a close, interacting network that is primarily affected by the bottom-up impact of soil fertility.

Baronia brevicornis Salvin (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) is one of the most enigmatic butterflies in the world and possibly represents the most ancient lineage among the superfamily Papilionoidea. Its geographic distribution is remote from that of all its potential close relatives and many of its biological and ecological characteristics are unique among the suborder Rhopalocera. One of its particularities is that the occurrence plots of this species seem to be independent, each representing individual populations, despite the fact that the host plant: Acacia cochliacantha Humboldt and Bonpland ex Willdenow (Fabaceae), is one of the most common Mexican Fabaceae species. Our results show that no B. brevicornis populations occur if the host plant does not cover at least two-thirds of the locality. Even in the most favourable zones, the landscape occupancy of the butterfly does not exceed 2.5% of the available habitat even when its host plant covers 50% of the area. The average density of adults was 840 individuals/ha in favourable habitats, frequently on areas of around 3 ha, below of 1400 m. Using the BIOMOD2 package and the largest available set of abiotic conditions for Mexico implemented in the WorldClim database, we propose a revised potential distribution and discuss the results of our model with field occurrence data. Evolutionary and conservation issues are discussed in the light of our results.

Emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), is a non-native, wood-boring beetle that has caused widespread mortality of ash (Fraxinus Linnaeus (Oleaceae)) in eastern North America. During 2004–2007, we determined whether forest community composition and structure of black (F. nigra Marshall), green (F. pennsylvanica Marshall), and white (F. americana Linnaeus) ash stands influenced their susceptibility to EAB invasion in southeast Michigan, United States of America. There was no relationship between EAB-induced ash decline or percentage mortality and any measure of community composition (tree species diversity, stand/ash density, total basal area, or relative dominance of ash). There was also no relationship between measures of EAB impact (density of EAB signs, ash decline rating, percentage ash mortality, or percentage infested ash) and forest attributes (ash/total stand density, basal area, ash importance, or stand diversity). Decline and mortality of black ash advanced more rapidly than that of white and green ash. Percentage mortality of ash increased from 51% to 93% during 2004–2007. Distance from the epicentre of the invasion was negatively correlated with ash mortality, but this relationship dissipated over time. Stand composition data suggests that ash will be replaced by Quercus Linnaeus (Fagaceae), Acer Linnaeus (Sapindaceae), and Tilia Linnaeus (Malvaceae); such vegetation changes will irreversibly alter the structure and function of these forests.

Within Canada, Cerceris fumipennis Say (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) is known to occur in Ontario and Québec but there is also one historic record from 1935 of two female specimens captured in Lytton, British Columbia. No other records have been recorded for the last 77 years. In 2012 and 2013, one male and four females were captured in a sweep net adjacent to a gravel parking lot in Merritt, British Columbia. Although there are differences in size and colouration between the British Columbia and eastern species, the variation between the populations does not warrant assigning a new name to this geographical race.

Populations of the chewing louse, Mulcticola macrocephalus (Kellogg) (Phthiraptera: Philopteridae), were investigated on its host the common nighthawk, Chordeiles minor (Forster) (Aves: Caprimulgiformes: Caprimulgidae), from 1992 to 2013 in southern Manitoba, Canada. The louse was present in all but one year with an annual prevalence of 0.52, mean intensity of 16 lice per infested bird, a ratio of 0.81 males and 1.89 nymphs to female (n=178). Intensity was the same in the first 11 and last nine years of the study, but prevalence dropped from 0.59 to 0.34 between the two decades. Population variability for annual abundance, measured as PV, was 0.49. In August, adults and newly fledged nighthawks had a prevalence of infestation similar to the adults that immigrated in the spring, but mean intensity did not reach spring levels until September–October. Samples of hosts were small in some years, reducing the precision of parameter estimates, particularly those based on ratios. The population parameters for M. macrocephalus on a native migrant host were intermediate in the ranges of parameters for four species of lice on non-migratory, introduced feral pigeons, Columba livia Gmelin (Aves: Columbiformes: Columbidae), but the distributions of M. macrocephalus among nighthawks was less severely aggregated than those from pigeons.