Many caterpillars exhibit patterns of ultraviolet (UV) fluorescence, although its purpose is unclear. We used realistic plasticine models of a fluorescing caterpillar species, the Polyphemus moth, Antheraea polyphemus (Lepidoptera; Saturniidae), adorned with fluorescent paint treatments and unpainted controls to quantify bird predation in two hardwood forested regions of New York State, United States of America. In separate field studies, significantly more birds struck deployed model caterpillars that had no UV fluorescence. More strikes on unpainted and clear paint treatments suggest paint itself did not impact predation, whereas similar predation attempts on bird and human-visible fluorescent dummies suggest that UV fluorescence and not UV reflectance was responsible for the observed effect. A second study found the dummy’s location on the tree was also important, but the low number of bird strikes limited analyses. Although our results do not identify a mechanism, fluorescence may function to deter or avoid predation. Our study contributes to a growing body of work investigating the importance of UV patterns in arthropods and highlights a potentially fruitful area of future research on predator–prey relations.

Canada has a distinguished history of research in forest entomology. The number of peer-reviewed publications emanating from studies in forest entomology in Canada greatly increased following the Second World War. Much of the outstanding historical success in Canadian forest entomological research is attributable to the work of entomologists employed by the Canadian Forest Service, who authored the majority of studies until the mid 1970s and usually published them in The Canadian Entomologist. Since that time the majority of studies have been published by Canadian universities in a broad range of journals. Most early research in forest entomology in Canada was carried out by men, but since that time the proportion of forest entomological research carried out by women has increased significantly. The majority of research in central and eastern Canada focussed on defoliators and their natural enemies and host plants whereas the majority of research in western Canada examined bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) and their natural enemies and host plants. Although publications on defoliators and their natural enemies have occurred continuously throughout the historical development of forest entomology in Canada, the numbers of publications on wood borers (Coleoptera: Buprestidae, Cerambycidae) and bark beetles and their natural enemies have never been higher than they are presently.

The spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens), was reared on a synthetic diet. Comparison of two successive laboratory generations reared on synthetic diet and on frozen balsam fir buds showed that diet-fed insects had a higher survival, developed faster, were heavier, mated more successfully, and were more fecund.

A large percentage of the half-tone reproductions from photographs, for illustrating Experiment Station Bulletins, are greatly reduced in value because of a lack of detail caused by heavy shadows, resulting from the use of opaque backgrounds near the objects photographed. To overcome this difficulty and to make such pictures of more value to specialists working in the fields of entomology, botany, and horticulture, a device, which is the outcome of combining several well-known principles, is here represented.

Readers will have noted that, beginning with the January number, a better grade of paper has been adopted for the Canadian Entomologist. This step was taken in order to meet the demand for a better reproduction of photographic illustrations, in which a good deal of important detail was lost with the paper formerly used. It will we think be generally agreed that the new paper is a great improvement.

However, we should like to take this opportunity of making some general observations on the illustration of entomological papers.

Nearctic Stylogaster Macquart (Diptera: Conopidae) species concepts are revised. We provide redescriptions of S. biannulata (Say) and S. neglecta Williston, description of S. beresfordinew species, an illustrated key to species, range maps, and ecological data. Stylogaster beresfordi ranges from southern Mexico to southern New Mexico, United States of America. DNA barcode data are provided with neighbour-joining and Bayesian analyses and relationships of the three species are discussed. We hypothesise that S. neglecta and S. beresfordi are sister taxa, while S. biannulata is in a different clade.

Effective instruction in entomology requires, among other things, that the student have the opportunily to see and examine to his satisfaction the insects dealt with in the course. This statement applies not only to courses in systematic and taxonomic entomology but to introductory courses and to such courses as field crop insects, truck and garden insects, stored product insects, fruit and nut insects, household insects, forest insects, medical entomology and the like. Surely, the instruction is seriously deficient where the student's acquaintance with the insects is limited to what he may hear in a lecture, or read or see in illustrations in a book.

Biological control has been an important tactic in the management of Canadian forests for over a century, but one that has had varied success. Here, we review the history of biological control programmes using vertebrate and invertebrate parasitoids and predators against insects in Canadian forests. Since roughly 1882, 41 insect species have been the target of biological control, with approximately equal numbers of both native and non-native species targeted. A total of 161 species of biological control agents have been released in Canadian forests, spanning most major orders of insects, as well as mites and mammals. Biological control has resulted in the successful suppression of nine pest species, and aided in the control of an additional six species. In this review, we outline the chronological history of major projects across Canadian forests, focussing on those that have had significant influence for the development of biological control. The historical data clearly illustrate a rise and fall in the use of biological control as a tactic for managing forest pests, from its dominance in the 1940s and 1950s to its current low level. The strategic implementation of these biological control programmes, their degree of success, and the challenges faced are discussed, along with the discipline’s shifting relationship to basic science and the environmental viewpoints surrounding its use.

The multiple funnel trap, an efficient, collapsible, non-sticky trap for scolytid beetles, consists of a series of vertically aligned funnels with a collecting jar at the bottom. The trap compared favorably with sticky traps and Scandinavian drainpipe traps for three species of ambrosia beetles and the mountain pine beetle. Minimum maintenance required for this trap allows for high efficiency in pheromone-based research, survey, and mass trapping of scolytid beetles.

Many biological processes are partitioned among organs and tissues, necessitating tissue-specific or organ-specific analysis (particularly for comparative -omics studies). Standardised techniques for tissue identification and dissection are therefore imperative for comparing among studies. Here we describe dissection protocols for isolating six key tissues/organs from larvae of the Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae): the supraoesophageal ganglion, posterior midgut, hindgut, Malpighian tubules, fat body, and thoracic muscle. We also describe how to extract haemolymph and preserve whole larvae for measurements such as protein, lipid, and carbohydrate content. We include dissection protocols for both fresh-killed and previously frozen specimens. Although this protocol is developed for A. glabripennis, it should allow standardised tissue collection from larvae of other cerambycids and be readily transferrable to other beetle taxa with similar larval morphology.

The Canadian Entomologist and its associated publications (Supplements of The Canadian Entomologist and Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Canada) have served as important outlets for taxonomic contributions on arthropods since 1868. A survey of beetle (Coleoptera) publications therein has revealed that 2276 species-group, 136 genus-group, and seven family-group taxa were first described in 492 scientific articles. New beetles were described in 67 families by 165 authors. We document trends of beetle descriptions over time, by taxonomic group and by the origin of the new taxa. We also provide biographical notices of the entomologists who described the new taxa. We believe that The Canadian Entomologist will continue to be coveted as a suitable outlet for taxonomic works in the future.

Citizen science involves voluntary participation in the scientific process, typically by gathering data in order to monitor some aspect of the natural world. Entomological citizen science, as an extension of traditional amateur entomology, is an active field in Canada, with online databases such as eButterfly and BugGuide attracting both contributors and database users. As well, traditional amateur entomology continues to be important in Canada, as do short-term insect-themed educational events, the involvement of amateurs in entomological societies, and online crowdsourcing initiatives. Success of citizen science projects can be measured in many ways. In terms of published papers that analyse trends in citizen science data, Canadian projects have only begun to deliver. More valuable are particular records that improve our knowledge of geographic ranges and phenology. In terms of the endurance of particular projects, and the willingness of volunteers to participate, citizen science entomology in Canada is clearly a success. However, quality control of citizen science data remains an issue for some projects. As well, challenges remain with respect to balancing the goals of researchers, participants, and supporting institutions.

The influence of various aspects of Malaise trap design on efficiency in collecting various groups of Hymenoptera was compared using commercially available traps. The influence of fine and coarse mesh sizes and the importance of the incorporation of pan traps into the design were evaluated in two sampling periods in an old dune community at Pinery Provincial Park in southern Ontario. Numbers of individuals collected in Malaise trap heads and pan traps were presented for each paired comparison of mesh size (fine and coarse) and location (top and bottom of a hill) for various families of Hymenoptera. A graphical analysis of the normalized catch data for more inclusive groupings, viz. Symphyta, Aculeata, Ichneumonoidea, and microhymenoptera, was presented. The major results of these comparisons were as follows: (1) pan traps were an important component of efficient Malaise traps, especially for Aculeata and microhymenoptera; (2) coarse mesh was more effective in collecting Aculeata; (3) coarse and fine mesh were both effective in collecting Ichneumonoidea; and (4) fine mesh was more effective in collecting microhymenoptera. There was an interaction effect between the type of trap used and groups collected and it was not possible to maximize simultaneously the collection of all groups of Hymenoptera. The use of various mesh types and a trap design that incorporates pan traps was recommended.

Understanding what drives insect movement is crucial to understanding how they might be affected by environmental or human disturbances. Methods that measure movement can be expensive, and few are available that do not rely on some sort of video footage. We developed a relatively inexpensive method that allows the user to see the full path of the individual insects within an arena after a certain amount of time, which can be captured with a photograph and later analysed with computer software applications. In our proof-of-concept experiment, we found that the ground beetle, Harpalus rufipes (Coleoptera: Carabidae), was more active in darkness and in light than in ultraviolet light and that it displayed different movement patterns under all three light treatments.

Our objective was to test the hypothesis that late-instar nymph, male, and (or) female German cockroaches, Blattella germanica (L.), use sonic signals for intraspecific communication. A digital-recording system was assembled that consisted of a computer equipped with data-acquisition hardware and software, microphones sensitive to sonic and ultrasonic frequencies, and speakers capable of emitting sonic and ultrasonic sound. Sound was repeatedly recorded from groups of five nymphs, five virgin males, or five virgin females. Click-type sounds were commonly present in recordings from nymphs, and consisted of sound pulses of about 10-ms duration and peak frequencies of 7, 9, 11, and 14 kHz. Similar "clicks" were found in recordings from females. In replicated binary choice arena bioassays with individual laboratory-reared insects, played-back "clicks" from nymphs or females or computer-generated artificial clicks attracted nymphs but not males or females. These results provide the first evidence that sonic signals are part of the complex B. germanica communication system.