Journal of the Entomological Society of British Columbia

Spencer, G. J.

16 Er--;TOMOl.OG IC AL SOCIETY OF BRITISH COL U MBIA, PR OC. (19 53 ) , VOL. 50, MAY 15, 1954 
complete the m e tam or phus is. Pus-
sibly the food plant was not the cor -
rect one. The easte rn fo rm of N. 
elllillet/ollie! _ . the Dronzecl Cu t \\ o rm -
is reported a s feed in g un va r iou s cul-
t iv;ltecl crop s. Jud g in g Imlll thi ,; and 
th e loose ly la id ova, I wuu ld h;1 \ e 
ex pected the \I'es t ern jorm to I, e 1ll o re 
catho li c in its ta s te s th ;1I1 h;ls p ro ved 
to he th e c lse in t he prese 1l t in s t;l nce. 
.'\ Ioulti ng· \\'as \'ery d iffi cul t ;111<1 p ru-
longed , o ften la st ing for seve ral da ys; 
m a ny died beiore compl e ting t he 1lloult 
a nd some we re no t eve n ab le to CO !11 -
m ence it. At no time did the lan'ae 
spi n a silk th read "vhen !11()\' in g about 
o r ,;vh en d isllldgeel fr om the foud plant. 
T hey feel only a t nig ht, hiding unde r 
th e he rhage by day, though a t no 
tim e did 1 observe t hem hurrowing 
in to t he so il except once, ev idently fo r 
th e purpose of pupati on. \Vh en tou ch-
ed th ev snap th eir bodi es v ig o rou sly 
trllm s ide t () sid e. If a la rmed th e body 
is 10 rlll ed in to a se I11 i ci rcle w i th heael 
r ;lised, ;111<1 held mo t ionless fo r some 
t ime. 'vVhe n at rest a l()ng a g rass 
h1:td e. th e st ri pes r end e r t hem ve ry 
in conspicuous; they see I11ed to ble nd 
in til the g ra ss . O ne cause fo r the 
rapid decli ne in numbe r , s ince ma ny 
di sappea red \vi th out lea ving a ny sig n, 
ma\' ha\'e heen du e to c<l nnaIJa li sm , bu t 
nl' . proo f of thi s w as d iscovered. 
M oul ting diffic ul ty appeared to be the 
Cillse o f n1l) s t o f t he casua lti es. 
SCIENCE NOTE 
Note on a cat flea population, Ctenocepha-
lides felis (Bollche) :- On November 6, 1953, 
I treated a fri end 's basem ent for fi eas and 
du sted the Dillow on w hich th e cat sl ept, 
ove r a pap cr-, to coll ee t fiea eggs. T he hos t 
cat was quite sho rt-haired and appa rently 
ha d lOured a considerable numbe r of fl eas o n 
its hody, jud ging by its energe tic scratc hi ng. 
Sincc the a nimal was accustomed to slee p 
by .lay on several pi eces o f u pholste red furni-
ture in th e h ouse whi ch 1110s t pI'obably had 
eggs o n them, t.hese were du sted a nd vacuum 
c1 eancd by the owncr. Th e pillow yi eld ed a 
fa ir amollnt o f trash , a small amount o f dri ed 
Jl <:a b lood, fra ss and a considerable number 
of eggs with a very few r ece ntly hatched. 
wriggli ng larvae. I t was a ll promptly placed 
in a tight ly lidded tin and supplied with 
powdered fox chow biscu it and a sma ll pi ece 
of wetted b lo t t in g pa per attach ec!. to th e lid, 
fo r mo isture. By next day th e eggs " 'e re 
ha tchi ng f reely a nd the larvae burrowed in to 
th e food. The box was k ept in a table 
drawer closed so as to reduce light. at laho ra-
tory t emperatu re s, and was examined at 
int ervals_ 
In four to fiv e we eks th e larvae matured a nd 
pupated; m ilch of th e foo(l pOlnler \\'as 
ll Sc:d up by st ickin .g· to th e ou t sicl e o f the 
silk en cocoons wh ich now resemhled a hed 
o f 1'Ough see ds. F leas started to em crge and 
hY' J anua ry ~ a ll had eme rged and di ed. 
Th eir g1'Ow th was ap pa rently aFfected hy an 
in:,deq uat e ~ lI pply o f fl ea hlood o f \\"hi ('h 
no t one pa rticl e rema in cd in the rea ring cage 
and a ll the fl eas we re stunted, males averag-
in g' 1.25 to 1.5 mm. a nd fem ales only slightly 
large r. There were 902 adults and one dead 
larva in the box, g iving a possible to tal o f 
903 fi cas by th e e nd o f J a nuary. If this 
reco rd is a no rm a l infestatio n on a sho rt-
ha ired cat, the fi ea populatio n raised by a 
long-h ai red cat o r dog mu st b e truly im-
m ense . 
T o se para te out the dead fl cas, the trash 
in th e box was sifted throug h th ree g rades 
o j wi re m es h. Th e sifting y ielded, besides 
th e tlea" o ne small hym enopte ron, th ree 
cOlllpl etely aptcrous minute myce tophilids 
and o ne specimen o f the dipte rous family 
phyllomyzid ae. genus Des1llolll)za, about two 
thircls th e size o f th e norm al flies in this 
gc nu s. 
Th e presence o f the, e three other in sec t 
species is puz zlin g' unless their pupae had 
bee n ca n-i ed up to th e pillow on the cat' s 
fce t from the ea rth a round a n assor tm ent of 
plants and Imlh , recent ly du g up and s to red 
fu r th e w int er in the basement, over which 
t he ca t may hav e walked. I am not aware o f 
either hym enopterons or d ipterou s pa rasi tes 
o n fl ea larvae. Th ey w er e ce r ta inl y not in 
the fox-chow biscuit powder sup plied to th e 
larvae sin ce thi s food had heen pul veri zed. 
ste rili zed fo r a week at - 40° F. and sto red 
in a tin w ith a ti gh t lid for a year befo re 
hein g ll secl.- G. J. Spencer. 


English

Note on a cat flea population, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché)

Smith, G. Stace

20 ENTOMOLOGICAL SoCIETY OF BRITISH CoLUMBIA, PROC. (1956), VOL. 53, FEB. 15, 19H 
of contamination from the external 
surfaces of the insects. Capillary 
tubes drawn to extremely fine diamet-
ers were used to penetrate the 
exoskeleton of abdominal areas, and 
the body lluids that entered the tubes 
were then applied to the membrane-
covered copper screens for electron 
microscope examination. 
Studies were made of all stages of 
C. tene/lus, the beet leafhopper. No 
brochosomes were found within the 
egg although they occurred on ex-
ternal surfaces of the egg. Some 
were found in internal body fluids and 
on external surfaces of the first, 
second, third, and fourth instars. 
Brochosomes were also found on 
external surfaces of Drosophila melano-
gaster Mg. and Musca domestica L. None 
were found in the body fluids of these 
species, nor were they found external-
lyon or internally in Apis mellifera L., 
Vespula arenaria (Fab.), Leptocoris trivit-
tatus (Say), or M yzus persicae (Sulz.). 
Specimens of the last six species test-
ed were collected near Logan, Utah. 
References 
1. Tulloc h, G. S., J. E. Shapiro, a nd G. W. Cochrane. The occurrence of ultramicroscopic 
bodies with leafhoppers and mo squitoes. Bull. Brooklyn Ent. Soc. 47: 41-42. 1952. 
2. Tulloch, G. S., and J. E. Shapiro. Brochosomes. Bull. Brooklyn Ent . Soc. 48: 57-63. 
1953. 
Inversion of a fly pupa in a puparlum 
Early in June 1956 a few score maggots 
were picked up off the floo r outside a 
preparation room where a number of heads 
of sea lions from the Quee n Charlotte 
Isla nds were awaiting preparation for the 
depa rtmental collection of skull s. The 
maggots were placed over cl ea n sand in a 
rearing cage, and in from 10 to 12 days 
large blow fli es CYll OIil )op.ris cad"vcrill llJ 
(R. D.). eme rged. In my limit ed experi-
e nce, thi, is a northern fl y or one of hi ~ her 
altitudes which rarel y o r neve r occurs as 
far south as Vancouyer. 
When the sand was sifted fo r pupae for 
pinning, one puparium was fo und with the 
two halves of the capitulum slit ope n a 
lit t le way but st ill adherent and fo ur actively 
ki ckin g fly legs protruding. The pupari um 
was chipped open very ca refull y, revea ling 
a n active but very malformed fl y lying 
compl etely reve rsed, it s head lying in the 
rounded spiracular caudal end of the punar-
ium. The head was swollen, with the 
ptilinum ex trud ed , rounded and dried; the 
an tenn ae were depressed into the antennal 
grooves: onl y the eyes were completely 
formed; the first pair o f legs was squeezed 
up aga inst the thorax and the second and 
third pa;.rs were st icking out behind; the 
wings were dried in the folded pupal condi-
tion. 
The fl y c. cadaverinlls is remarkably large 
in pro po rtion to its mature maggot, and 
the pupa normally occupi es the whole o f 
the coarctate puparium w ith little room for 
movcment, let alo ne turning. H ow then 
did th l'! fly Ixcome reversed en d for end 
in th e pupariull1 and when did the r eversal 
take place (-G. J. Spencer, Ullnil'erJity of B.C. 
Patrobus Lecontei Chd. 
PatrobllJ lecofJIei Chd . (Coleoptera: Ca ra-
hidae ). In the sUl1lmer of 1956 Prof. Carl Lin-
droth and Dr. Gco. Ball collected through the 
Crows Nest Pass, B.C., cnding up at Creston, 
where they spent a few days with me. At 
Cranbrook they had taken several Patrobus 
leconlei, a new record for the Province. 
They gave me directions to the exact spot 
of their captures. so I too k the first 
o pportuuity (12- VIII) to visit it, and' in two 
hOllrs collected 23 specimens . The exact 
spot is a patch of bulrushes to the left of 
the main hig hway on th e western approach 
of the town, and a few yards from the sign: 
"Entering Cranbrook", and th e beetl es were 
o n the mudd y margi ns of the bulrushes. 
With their bri ght reddis h legs lecontei stand 
out sharply beside our other species of 
PatrobllS. In his revi sion, The American Pa· 
trobini, 1938, Darlington lists the species from 
Newfoundland, Manitoba, Alberta and Color-
aelo.-G. Stace Smith, Creston, B.C. 


Patrobus lecontei Chd.

Touzeau, W. D.

Neilson, C. L.

ENTOMOLOGICAL SOC IETY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, PROC. (1958), VOL. 55, DEC. 22 , 1958 23 
growers. JV[oreover, there are repo rts 
of damage in Trithion tria ls from 
~Washington State (Anthon , 1958) and 
from Austra li a (G . Miller. Tasmania 
Dept. of Agricul ture, pri va te com-
munication) . 
References 
Anthon, E . W. 1958. Experts repo rt on successes \\ ~ ith n ewest pes ticides. Bettcr Fruit 
52: 8, 10, 21, 22. 
Dept. Agr. British Columbia. 1957. 1957 CO lltrol o f tree-f ruit pes ts and diseases (sp ray 
calendar). Victoria, B.C. 
Downing, l{. S. 1958. Recent tria ls with nc\\~ aca ricide s in British Col umbia o rchard s. 
Canadian J. PI. Sci. 38: 61-66. 
Marshall, J. 1953~ A decade of pest control in Britisll Col umbia orchards. Proc. Ent. 
Soc. Briti sh Columbia 49 ( 1952): 7-10. 
Pielou, U. I '. , and :-1. 1J. l-'roverbs~ 1958. lJiazinon: A summary of reccnt \\"ork on a 
new orchard ins ect icide. 1'roc. Ent. Soc .. Briti s h Columbia 55" ( 1958): 
Stauffer Chemical Company , 1956. Compound R- 1303. [bull et inJ :\iountain View, Cali-
fo rnia. 
ERADICATION PROCEDURES FOR ORIENTAL FRUIT MOTH 
IN THE OKANAGAN VALLEY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA 
W. D. TOUZEAU 1 and C. 1. NEILSON2 
In 1957 plans were o utlined for the 
eradication of a potential infestat ion 
of oriental fruit moth in the Southern 
Okanagan Valley (1). It is now in -
tended to report on what was done 
and the results as noted to date . 
In the fall of 1956 the npel1lng 
rooms of the two canneries involvecl 
were fumigated with methyl bromide . 
This served as an immediate check on 
the most probable location s of infes-
tation as the fruit had been pla ced in 
these room s on arrival and before 
go ing into cold storage until pro -
cessed. 
Extensive organization by federal 
and provincia l authorities re sulted 111 
an early spr in g and summer program 
Df insect e liminat ion. This inclucled 
ca nne ry fumigation, rem ova l of trees 
;Jll,l .. f,umigati()11 of the orchard lancl 
wlle're po ss ible infe s ted fruit \\ 'aste 
had been scatte red. fumigation of 
other wast e clump areas , spraying of 
orchards adjacent to canne rie s and 
cUl11pensation for any losses . and 
trapping for poss ible recove ry of 
1. Ortic e r·in . ('hargt..' , l' ]:1 llt ]' rntec ti o ll ])i yi:-; io ll , 
l'rod uct io n Sen'ice, CaIlada Agri c u lt ure" , \ · <lllco u\-,....r . 
H.C. 
1. l'ro \'incial Elltolllo ]ogi :-;t, ]'ro\" ince ni rh i ti ~ h 
COll!lllbia, \ "crllnll, H.C. 
Contributi o n ;\ulllbtT J 2~ , "] :l1lt ]'ro tecti nn ])i\'i 5' io ll, 
Prndll ct inn Sen -tee , Canada l)t"partlll e nt o i .-\ g riCld -
ture, Otta\\"a, Ontari o . 
adult oriental fruit 1110ths throughout 
the Southern Okanagan Valley. 
Early in the year fumigation mat-
ters were attended tu and a deadl ine 
clatc of April 6, 1957, was set. After 
contracting for the fumigati o n of the 
cannerie s and certain land areas, it 
was necessary to ass emble a great 
deal of materia l, including electric 
gas analyzers, polyethylene tubing, 
thermometers, leak detectors, test in-
sects. cages, extension cords, etc. A 
mobil e laborato r v was obtained to 
house the gas ~analysis equ ipm ent. 
The fumigators. Columbia Pest Con-
trol , Ontario, California, suppl ied their 
()\\n tarpaulins to cuver the areas ancl, 
Oil l\Ltrch 13th , s tarted to cm'er the 
cannery of York Farms, Osoyoos. 
This was completed in one day. The 
a rea fum iga tcd was 333,015 cubi c feet. 
In this sa me vicinity it wa s required 
t() fumigate a junk pi le of 11.000 cubic 
feet, sett ling pits of 13,000 cubic feet, 
;\1](1 a fruit refu se dump area of 4 ,500 
cuhic feet. 
On 2'Tarch 18 th th e upe rato r s mo ved 
to Barkwill Cannery at \Vest Summer-
bllc!. The area in\"olvecl in th e can-
Il e rv- fumigation \\'a 5 298.000 cubic 
fe et. an acliacent hill s ide 10.000 cubic 
feet , the (;rchard area 423,600 cubic 
feet. \\' ith a re -fumigation of 16,800 
24 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY Of BRITISH COLUMBIA, PROc. (1958), VOL. 55, DEC. 22, 1958 
cubic feet. A grand total of 1,109,915 
cubic feet was fumigated. In all cases 
the initial dosage was at the rate of 
5 lbs. methyl bromide per 1,000 cubic 
feet. 
Prior to the fumigation of the 
orcha rd land the trees had been re-
moved to one foot stumps, the trees 
being burned. In o rder to support the 
t~ll-paulins for the land fumigation, 
apple boxes were placed between the 
tree stumps to a llow better circula-
tion o f the gas. Over 4,000 boxes 
were u sed and the se had to be moved 
as each sect ion was treated. Tht en-
tire orchard was treated in 27 sec ti()n s. 
ranging in size from 4,000 square feet 
to 38,000 square fe et, with the a \"e rage 
approximately IS,OOO square feet. The 
initial dusage in all cases was at the 
rate uf 5 11>s. methyl bromide per 1,000 
cubic feet. Due "\0 the tremendou:-: 
su il sorpt ion . especiall y in g ra ve ll y 
sect iun s, the ayerage amount of 
Jll eth y 1 brum ide requi red was appro:\: -
imat ely 23 lb s. per 1,000 cubic feet. 
The steep hill side ad jacent to the 
cannery posed another problem in 
supporting the tarpaulin s. This \\'as 
sulved by constructing a framework 
of 2 x 4's attached tu s takes dri\'en 
into the gTot111d. The desired concen-
tratiun of gas was maintained with 
13 lbs. of fumigant per 1,000 cubic 
f eet, with fan circulation. 
The fi nal fum iga tion was com pie ted 
on April 10th, which was considered 
satisfactory for the project. 
Following fumigation all roadways , 
parking areas and areas imm ediate ly 
adjacent to both canneries were 
thoroughly sprayed with (liesel o il 
plus 25 % emulsifiable DDT. 4 Ib s. 
actual per 100 gallons of o il. 
A spray program had been outlined 
for orchards adjacent to the canner-
ies , as a follow-up of the fumigation. 
In order to be able to maintain a n 
efficient and steady spray schedule a 
concentrate sprayer was purchased, to 
be operated under the supervision of 
the Entomology Laboratory at Sum-
merlancl. Some seven acres of 
orchard were sprayed in the vicinity 
of the Osoyoos cannery, whereas thirty 
odd acres were sprayed adjoining the 
Summerland cannerv. All varieties 
of fruits within the~e acreages were 
sprayed, using SO gallons of spray per 
acre. 
The spray period for Osoyoos was 
April 2S to May 10/ 13 for apricots, 
and April 18 to June 21 / 25 for peaches 
and other fruits. In Summerland the 
spraying extended from April 29 to 
.May 23/ 24 for apricots a nd other 
fruits, and from April 26 to June 
26/ 29 for peaches. The Osoyoos apri-
c()h received three applications of 
1)1)T 50% wettable powder, 12 Ibs. 
per acre, Colloidal Spray Modifier 1 
pint per acre, F O U1- similar applica-
tiulls were gi\'en to apricots in S um -
merland, The peach spraying start-
ed at the ra te of 12 Ib ~. per acre but 
\\'as r ed uc ed tu 6 1 b~. la ter in the 
~eaS(Jll because of the residue problem. 
In OS()Y()OS 5 a ppl i c;l tion s \\'ere made 
at th e bigher rate and 2 at tbe lowe r, 
\\'herea::; in S U111m erlancl 4 applications 
were made at 12 Ib", and 3 at 6 Ibs. 
A\'era ge figure::; on spray residue have 
been pro vided as DDT parts per mil-
liun o f fruit. The legal tolerance is 
7ppm. lIy harv est time the re sidue 
prublem 011 peaches and apricots was 
of ,"ery little concern. 
Special probl ems in arnv1I1g at 
grower lo ss and fruit compensation 
values vvere encountered. Cherry 
yields and grades hac! to be estimated 
0 11 the trees as the fruit was not 
harvested. due to excess ive spray re si-
due. Some spray damage occurred 
on apricots, The amount of damage 
due to r educed s ize of fruit, ':::1' ~~ ~ 
fruit drop, and fruit burn were factors 
which had to be considered and reco n-
ciled so that the growers could be 
equitably compensated. 
A trapping program was l111tlat-
ed to determine if or iental fruit moth 
bad become established in the peach-
grovving sections uf the South 
Okanagan Valley. Traps were set in 
a circumference of a mile from th e 
fumigated canneries a nd in seve ral 
ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, PROC. (1958), VOL. 55, DEC. 22, 1958 25 
Fruit 
Peach 
Peach 
Apricot 
Apricot 
L ocation 
Summerland 
Osoyoos 
Summerland 
O soyoos 
Last 
Spray 
June 29 
June 21 
11ay 24 
;.ray 10 
o ther strategic points throughout the 
Vall ey, from the international bound-
ary to Summerland and into Nara-
mata, \Vestbank and Kelowna. Four 
hundred and twenty-four traps were 
used. Throughout the season 9,23 1 
trap in specti ons "ve re made, using 
1,360 ga llon s o f bait whi ch was pre-
pared in batches of 45 gall ons, using 
2 gallon s pan omalt , 160 lb s. golden 
bro wn sugar, .5 lb. Brew er's yeast, 
and 42 ga ll ons \I·ater. Two suspicious 
moths w ere found but neither proyed 
to be o ri ental fruit moth . 
Fruit fumigati on tria ls were con-
ducted at th e London Laboratory, to 
determine th e lethal dosage of the 
various stages of the in sec t, as well 
as the tolerance of the fruit. Modi-
fications were made in the import 
r egulations. Fumigation is now re -
quired only for the fruit s of apricot, 
peach, pear, and quince. 
Late season observations on the 
fumigated land indicated that there 
had been considerable killing of weed 
seeds, and the couch grass had been 
completely killed out in the entire 
o rchard. Fruit tree s which had been 
Residue 
on Residue at harvest on 
June 29 (36 ppm) 
June 24 (22 ppm) 
June 29 (48 ppm) 
June 24 (6.6 ppm.) 
Aug. 13 
Aug. 27 
July 24 
(3.6 ppm) 
(3.1 ppm) 
(8.S ppm) 
replanted showed ve ry good growth, 
better than usual with freshly planted 
nursery stock. 
Cost Estimates 
Fumiga tion - including consultant 
fe es, fumi gation contract , gas, 
salaries, tra velling expenses, ex-
tra labou r . $ 43,843.00 
Spray in g - in cluding sprayer, ma-
te rial , wages, labo ur .... 8,057.25 
Trappin g - inc lu din g matcrial, 
,a larics, travell in g ex penses , 
1al>0 \lr .................. _. .... .. ...................... 5,415.69 
Prov in cia l Govc rnm e n t - in clud -
In g preliminary fumi gatio ns , 
orc hard compe n sa tio n, fruit com-
pc nsatio n , transpo rtatio n 17,333.89 
$ 74,649.83 
Acknowledgments 
This paper is th e compilation of un-
publi shed data supplied by lVIr. L. L. 
Reed, Plant Protection Division, Otta-
wa; Dr. J. Marshall , Entomology 
Laboratory, Summerland, B.c.; Mr. 
H. A. U . Monro, Science Service La-
boratory, L ondon, Ontario; Mr. W. 
Molyneux, Plant Protection Division, 
Penticton, B.C., and Mr. R. P. Murray, 
Provincial Horticulturist, Victoria 
B.C. 
References 
( I) T o uzeau and Neilson. Plans to Eradicate Oriental Fruit 110th in th e Okanagan 
Valley, B.C. Proc. Ent. Soc. British Columbia 54 :23-24. 1957. 
On the Reproductivl!! Potential of the S.heep Nostril Fly 
O e.f11'/lS avis L. (Diptera: Oestridae) 
M os t refcrenc es s tate th a t th e eggs o f th e 
s heep nos tril fly hatch in the lJody o f the 
m o ther and th e fly d e posit s living larvae; 
Hearle (I) s tatcs that in o ne in s tancc undcr 
o hscrvati o n, 60 larvae I\'c re de pos ited in o n e 
ho ur. On ly o ne r e fcr ence th a t I can find, 
(Smart, (2» s tates th ;lt th c fly dc pos it s 
cggs. 
In 195-1 \\·hen \\' o rkin\!: o n th c L ac du B ois 
\,;It tl e ran ges SOI lI C 13 ' Inil es f rolll a nel 2000 
icc I :t1J()\'(, J.\. :lIlil oo ps, 1 iOll nd Iha t nC\\' lv 
em ergcd n()s lril fli es c lu stered in cre\'iccs iil 
Ihe o ld kJ\!: lin t 111;11 lI'a s being used :IS a 
bl JO rat o l'\', parti cu la rl y in th e holcs cut inl u 
Il le dOllr fr am c 10 la ke Ihc la tchcs o f th e 
lock. On o ne m o rlllng be fo rc the s lln 
warmed th e cabin 11 0 felVcr than fOllr 
female flies wer e clus t e red th ere; thcy were 
fres hl y emcrgcd a nd und amaged. Ther e 
\\'e r e no s hccp o n th c ran ges at thi s time 
so th c flie s may no t hav c been chasin g 
allyl hin g-. 
O Il C o f th ese fli es \I'a s d issectc( [ to de -
tCrlnill e tl lc egg- lay in g po tenti;i1 . Th e 
<,,'arl es lI' c rc di ste lld ed \I·ith 624 eggs o f 
IIni fOrln S1 ~c e:lch 0.-1 mill . lon g . \I'hi ch 
read il y sc pa rat ed o u t fro lll th c fo llicl es, 
A brll pll,' small c r Ih a ll t hi .s serl cs . wc r e 
;;tr in g's oi I'CTy t iny ll1on ilif(l rm o\'a in th c 
gc r lll: tna. 


Eradication procedures for oriental fruit moth in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia

Corner, J.

References 
1. Cowan, Robert. F lea bee lle injury in south west Wash ington. Proc. 22nct Ann . 
Meeting Wash . State Hart. Assn . Dec. 1926, pp. 155-160. 1927. 
2. Gentner, L. G. The black fl ea beetl es of the genus Epitrix commonly identified as 
cucumeris (Harris) (Co leoptera : Chrysomelidae). Proc. Ent. Suc. Wash. 46: 
137-149. 1944. 
3. Glendenning, R. Population coun ts of potato flea beetl es at Agassiz and Chill iwack, 
B.C. Proc . Ent. Soc. Brit. Col. 42:2. 1945. 
4. MacCarthy, H. R. A comparison of potato tuber damage by two flea beetles, Epitrix 
tuberi$ Gent. and Epitrix subcrinita (Lec.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Proc . 
Ent. Soc. Brit. Col. 47: 42. 1951. 
5. Webster, R. L ., and W. W . Baker. Pota to fl ea beetles in Washington . J. Econ. En!. 
22: 897-900. 1929. 
A FURTHER RECORD OF GRYLLOBLATTA CAMPODEIFORMIS 
CAMPODEIFORMIS WALKER, IN THE INTERIOR OF B.C. 
A furth er record for the distribu -
t ion of Grylloblatta campodei/ormis 
campodeijormis Walker, is establish-
ed with the discovery of this insect in 
th e Monash ee Mountains east of 
Lumby, B .C. Two specimens, one male 
and one female nymph, were found 
on September 13 , 1956, at a road cross-
ing over Tepee Creek a pproximately 
two miles north-west of Lightning 
Peak in the Mona~hee Mountains. 
The identifica t ion of these specimen s 
was verifi ec' b', Prnf8<;,,,or Emeritu s G . 
F. Spencer of the Univer <: ity of British 
Columbia . 
It is interestIn g to note tl:. a t a lon g: 
wU.h nn th of tr. e <:e in ,c::ects was ca n -
t,ured a Ja -rt:!e Cal·ahid~.~ - ppm'Ylhu ~ 
rmQusticoU i.s verified bv Gar don 
St,ace Smith of Creston , B.C. 
The snecimens were ta1<en fJ"O m a 
deep crack in a soft granite boulder 
on the bank of the creek . The outer 
slab of th e rock was removed and th ~ 
insects were found a mong the mas') 
which was growing inside of the rock 
fissure . It was a bright day and tem-
perature was estimated to be 65°F . 
a lthough evening temperatures were 
below fr eezing. Altitude was estimat-
ed at 6,300 feet. 
These specimens and th e one cap-
tured by J . D . Gregson (1938) at Kam-
loops, B.C. h ave coal black eyes which 
is in contrast to the non-pigmented 
eyes of two adult specimen s taken at 
Jasper ( 1930) and which are h eld by 
Professor G . J . Spencer. 
Seven speCimens, one adult and six 
nymphs, were taken by D . K. Camp-
bell and J. Grant and are assumed to 
be of the same variety, a lthough 
identification was not confirmed. 
These specimens were found beneath 
the rocks, at the foot of a stable 
talus slope , located on the north-east 
side of the Monashee highway a p-
proximately 32 miles east of Lumby 
at an elevation of about 3,800 fee t . 
The date of cap ture was November 
11 , 1952. At the time of capture the 
insects were active a lthough air tem-
perature h overed about the freezing 
point with intermittent snow flurries . 
The temperature within the rock 
slide was below freezing. The pig-
mentation in the eyes of these speci-
mens was not observed. 
--.1 . el) /'I If '/'. Pmr ill ci fll A p iaris t . "Fen I0 1I. 
U.t' . 
References 
Gregson J . D. Gryllobl .. tta campodeiformis Walker- A nell' record . Can. En t. 70 : 63-64 . 
HJ3fl . 


A further record of Grylloblatta campodeiformis campodeiformis Walker, in the interior of B.C.

Williams, K.

McMechan, A. D.

20 1'1" .... 1'; ' ''' (1 .''1)'-- S UL 1 ) 1:1 .,.. ( ' (11.1 '.\11" .\ , Y(lI. . ,, 8 Il!ltil). lli-;, ·. 1. '19tH 
COMPARISON OF SPRAY DEPOSITS FROM CONCENTRATE AND 
SEMI-CONCENTRATE ORCHARD SPRAYING1 
K. WILLIAMS AND A. D. McMECHAN 2 
Introduction 
Although concentrate spray ma-
chines are widely used in the Okan-
agan Valley of British Columbia, some 
growers use semi-concentrate spray 
machines. Marshall (2) has defined a 
concentrate sprayer as one that 
causes no drip from ma ture trees 
sprayed with up to 75 Imperial gal-
lon:; of spray liquid per acre , and a 
semi - concentrate sprayer as one tha t 
a pplies 150 to 300 gallons per acre. 
The experiment reported here was 
und ertaken to compare spray deposits 
on foliage when sprays were applied 
at ra tes of 50 , 100 and 250 ga llons per 
acre, with the same amount of spray 
ch emical per acre in each case . 
Methods 
Two orchard sprayers in common 
use in the Okanagan Valley were u sed 
for the experiment. Sprayer A was a 
double side sprayer that delivered to 
each side an airstream with an a ver-
age velocity, at the vent, of 87 miles 
per hour, and a volume of 10,300 
eubic feet per minute. Sprayer B was 
a double side sprayer that delivered 
t.o each side an airstream with an 
average velocity, at the vent, of 105 
miles per hour and a volume of 7,700 
eubic feet per minute. The speed of 
travel for all spray applications was 
one mile per hour. 
The experiment was conducted in 
a n orchard of mature McIntosh apple 
trees in which the rows were 30 feet 
apart and the trees 30 feet apart in 
the rows . Trees ranged in height from 
18 to 22 feet , and in diameter from 
25 to 30 feet . In 1959, each sprayer 
was used to apply Sevin, 50 per cent 
wettable powder, at the rate of 4 
1 Contribution No. 72 from the Hcg iona1 He· 
!'cHrch Station, Canada Departme nt of Ag ri c ul-
ture, Summe rland , Briti s h Colulnhia . 
2 Cht'mbt .lnd Agri c ultural Engine er respet'-
tin:l,v. 
pounds per acre in all treatments. 
Each treatment consisted of two rep-
licates and there were three treat-
ments per sprayer : 50 , 100 and 250 
gallons of spray liquid applied per 
acre . The experiment was repeated in 
1960 . 
Sampling technique and sample 
treatment were as reported by Mc-
Mechan et al. (1). Sevin was deter-
min ed by a colorimetric method (3). 
Results and Discussion 
The results (Table 1) show that 
when the same amount of spray 
chemical was applied per acre the 
spray deposits on the leaves were not 
increased by increasing the volume of 
,')pray liquid. With both sprayers the 
50-gallon-per-acre rate gave equal or 
slightly higher deposits than the 100-
a nd 250-gallon-per-acre rates. 
During the last several years 
sprays applied at the rate of 50 
gallons of spray liquid per acre have 
given excellent pest control both in 
experimental p lo t sand grower-
sprayed orchards. In limited experi-
ments Fisher and McMechan (unpub-
lished results) have found that 
chemical thinning of apples was as 
p;ood with 50 as with 100 or 250 gal-
lons of spray liquid per acre. From 
the results obtained it appears that 
there is no advantage in using more 
than 50 gallons of spray liquid per 
acre because time is wasted in filling 
the sprayer when higher volumes are 
used. 
The amount of spray chemical ap-
plied per acre should be the same for 
sprayers applying from 50 to 250 gal-
lons of spray liquid per acre. When 
applying more than 250 gallons of 
spray liquid per acre the amount of 
spray chemical applied per acre may 
have to be increased because of in-
~ t 
TABLE .I - Mea n Spra y De posi ts ot: Se vin (mm g. cm .2) on Appl e Foliage fr om Two 
Sprayers Appl y ing Three Volumes of Spray Liq uid per Acr e (Se vin , 50 per 
cent We tta bl e Powd er , Appl ied at Ra te of 4 Pound s pe r Acre in All Pl o ts). 
Tree- top de posit Tr ee· bottom d e posit 
Ga ll ons of Spray li q uid per ac r e Ga llons of Spray liquid p er acre 
Sprayer Year Re pli ca te 50 100 
1959 1 1.2 0.9 
A 2 1.5 1.1 
1960 1 1.0 1.3 
2 1.2 0.9 
Aver age 1.2 1.1 
1959 I 1.5 1.6 
B 2 1.6 1.0 
1960 .1 1.4 0.8 
2 1.2 1.3 
Average 1.4 1.2 
creased " run -off " of spray liquid from 
the fruit and folia ge. 
Summary 
Wh en the same a mount of pesticide 
was applied per acre, spray deposits 
250 50 100 250 
0.6 3.2 2.7 1.9 
1.0 3.3 3.2 2.l 
I.l 3.3 3.5 2.4 
1.1 3.5 2.8 2.5 
1.0 3.3 3.1 2.2 
1.2 2.5 3.3 2.4 
1.4 3.0 2.7 2.7 
1.0 2.8 2.9 2.9 
1.2 3.7 3.3 3.0 
1.2 3.0 3.1 2.8 
on foliage were equal for two sprayers 
applying concentrate sprays of 50 
gallons of spray liquid per acre and 
semi-concentrate sprays of 250 gal-
lons per acre. 
Rehrences 
1. McMechan , A . D., J . M. McArthur, an d K. Williams . 1960. Effect of s peed of t rave l 
on the performance of concentra te orchard sprayers. Proc. Entomo!. Soc . Brit. 
Columbia 57: 44-47. 
2. Marshall, J . 1958. Concentra te spray in g in dec id uou s orchard s. Can. De p. Agr. Pub!. 
1020: pp . 34 and 42 . 
3. Mi skus, R., and D. A. George. 1959. Col orim e tric d e termination of l -naphthyl-N· 
me thyl-carbam a te in agricultural cr o ps. J. Ag r . F ood Che m . 7 : 613-614. 
Dock sawfly larvae boring holes in cedar siding_ 
On October 27 , 1959, at the requ est of a 
pest control operator , r vi s i te d a house in 
Burna by to investiga te a compla int of 
insects boring into cedar siding. The house 
was s ix mon ths old, in a ne w s ubd iv is ion on 
a northern slope with bus h on ly a bl oc k 
away. No landscaping ha d been done . 
Thirteen sawfly la rva e wer e coll ec te d on 
the ou ts id e north wall and on a ce me n t 
wa lk next to the hou se. Th e lar vae had 
moved from th e soil , across the walk a nd 
up th e ce me nt house found at ion to th e 
pa int ed ced a r s idin g in ord e r t o pupa te 
within holes on th e wood . Th e lower ed ge 
of the sidin g was 18 inc hes a bove the con -
er-e t e walk . By the tim e th e own er e nli s te d 
(he services of the pest control ope r a tor , 
t hey ha d a lready ma de many hol es in th e 
l'lwes t 18 inc hes of 1I'00d . 
Th e lar vae wer e pl aced in a jar contai n-
ing a large cork into whi c h th ey imme d i-
ilte ly s tarte d to bore. Th e j ar was le ft in 
on o utdoor sc r ee ne d insec tar y for th e 
wint er . Adult sawfli es e m e r ged at th e e nd 
of May and were id en t ified as Ametastegia 
glabrata (F a llen) by Dr. H . E. Milliro n, 
l~ntomology Research Institute, Ottawa. 
A. glabrata, which feeds on d ocks (Rumex 
spp .) a nd Polygonum s pp., norma ll y hiber -
nates in th e s te m s o f these pla nts. Occa-
siona lly it causes co ns id er a bl e dam age in 
the fa ll by boring in to a p p les in or chards 
th at are not cl ea n cultiva te d. It may a lso 
hibe rn at e in the d ea d porti ons of spur 
;;r ow ths t hat have bee n cu t back th e 
previous season . 
Becke r and Sweet ma n r ecord e d !ea f-
fee ding saw liy la rvae Macremphytus tar-
sat us (Say) in la r ge number s cr a wlin g 
i. bou t d ooryards a nd on buildings in Massa-
c husetts. Th e lar vae bor e d into wood e n 
s truc tures to ma ke pupa l ce ll s, complet e ly 
('lll beddin g th e mse lves in clecayed or n atur-
.ll ly so ft wood . 
Reference 
Bec ke r , W. B. a nd H. L. S\\ eetman . 1946. 
Leaf-feeding saw fl y lar vae burro\\,-
ing in structura l \\ood. J. Eco l1 . 
En t. 39: 408. 
l ' I ' ll ' ,' /./lk. j/f ' .... ·" ,I! ·{ ·h , .... ·/ulioll. l " lJ lf ·UUL'Cr. 
II .C' . 


Comparison of spray deposits from concentrate and semi-concentrate orchard spraying

Banham, F. L.

:3 8 PI"" '. E S'ru .11 UI.. SU' ' . BlOT, CU l.l .111<1.1. 1,'01,. ;,8 (1%1 ) , ilF.c , 1, 1%1. 
in future be a llowed two plate blocks 
free. Any other concessions were left 
in the hands of the Secretary to de-
~ id e as best seems fit under the 
circumstances. " 
"The format of a reprint order was 
discussed and the free page allowance 
to each au thor per Proceedings was 
increased from 10 to 12." 
DISTRIBUTION OF TRIRHABDA PILOSA BLAKE (COLEOPTERA: 
CHRYSOMElIDAE), ATTACKING BIG SAGEBRUSH IN THE INTERIOR 
OF BRITISH COLUMBIA' 
F. L. BANH AM 2 
Canada Depa rtm ent of Agriculture, 
Entomology Laborato ry, 
Ka mloops, B.C. 
I ntrod uction 
In 1960 a nd 1961 , distribution sur-
veys were m ade of Trirhabda pilosa 
Blake , unofficially named th e sage-
brush beetle, in British Columbia . 
Interest in this insect centers on its 
a pparent ability to control big sage -
brush , Artemisia tridentata Nutt . 
E'rom 1954 to 1961 , larvae and adults 
of this species have attacked the foli-
age of big' sagebrush plants on more 
than 3500 acres of rangeland in the 
Ka mloops area . About fifty per cent of 
the plants attacked h a ve been killed. 
BIg sagebrush normally inhabits 
overgrazed or otherwise impoverished 
volcanic soils in the lower and middle 
grass zones (i.e . 1000-2000 and 2000-
3000 foot elevations, respectively) on 
much of the rangeland in south-
centr a l British Columbia . It is con-
sidered to be n a tive in the former 
zon e and an invading weed in th e 
lutter. In most locations its elimina -
tion or retardation would result in 
improved stands of native grasses. 
In July, 1954, Mr. Wm. L. Pringle, 
Agronomist of the Canada Range Ex -
perimental F a rm at Kamloops, ob-
served a two -acre stand of big sage-
br ush which had been severely 
defoli ated. This was near the Lac Ie 
Jeune road. a bout six miles south-
west of Ka mloops (3). Close exam-
ination showed numerous s m a 11 
1 Contribution No. 14 , Ento ll1 0 1 og ~' LCihoT'at o ry~ 
Kam ioops. B.C. 
~! Associate Ent.o m ologist. 
metallic blue beetle larvae fee ding on 
the lea ves of the sagebrush . Adults 
collected from this site were identi-
n ed as Trirhabda pilosa Blake by Mr. 
W, J. Brown, Entomology Division, 
Canada Department of Agriculture, 
Ottawa (1). This identification was 
confirmed by Mrs. Bla ke, who des-
cribed and named T . pilosa in 1931 , 
from specimens taken in California 
Nevada and Wyoming (2). She lis ted 
Artemisia tridentata Nutt. as the 
host. In British Columbia, an a uthor-
itative identification of T . pilosa was 
uncertain for a time, because three 
ath er species of Trirhabda also have 
been taken. Specimens of T. attenu-
ata (Say) and T . jlavolimbata Mann. 
have been collected from the Kam-
loops area and T . canadensi s (Kby. ) 
f rom the Vernon a rea. The first is 
very simila r to T. pilosa. 
Careful checking of the Canadian 
National Collection by Mr. W. J . 
Brown showed that specimens of T . 
pilosa had been taken in this prov-
ince at Seton Lake, Nicola, Summer-
iand, and Ka mloops. The earliest 
;-ecord was a single specimen taken 
in the Kamloops a rea in 1890. Al-
though these records indicate that 
the insect has been taken from widely 
.'eparated locations, no early reports 
have been found which record defoli -
ation of sagebrush simila r to that 
noted by Pringle. 
Methods and Results 
In 1960 and 1961 surveys were made 
ANNUAL PRECIPITATION 
D 5- 10 INCHES 
m 10- IS INCHES 
o INFESTATION OF 
TRIRHABDA PILOSA 
1~ 30 
SCALE IN MI LE S 
+ S 
Fig. I - Distributi on o( Trirhabda pilosa Bla kp in so uth-cen tral Br iti sh Co lumbia. 
39 
-1 0 I H' W . EXTf) ) IO L. SO(. B I: I"I" . ('0 1.1" .'''' 1.1 . \ ' ''1.. i),; (1 !161 ) . DI·:, ·. 1. l ~ ljl 
of T . pilosa in stands of big sage-
brush and of areas which previously 
had been attacked. Active infesta-
t ions were assessed by recording the 
n umbers of larvae and adults per 
plant in the following categories : 
Very light - 1 to 5 
Ligh t - 6 to 15 
Moderate - 16 to 50 
Heavy - 51 and over 
Previously attacked stands of sage-
brush were assessed on the basis of 
apparent damage caused by the in-
sect. 
T . pilosa appears to be fairly gen-
erally distributed in stands of big 
~agebrush in British Columbia . (Fig. 
1). In most areas infestations of T. 
pilosa were recorded as light or very 
light and were restricted to fewer 
than ten sagebrush plants at anyone 
location . The resulting larval and 
adult feeding on the sagebrush foliage 
appears to be causing so little damage 
as to be negligible . Single moderate 
infestations of one-quarter and two 
acres, respectively, were recorded at 
Merritt and Keremeos. Three light, 
one moderate, and four heavy infes-
tations from four to 300 acres were 
recorded at Kamloops. There, three 
previously attacked stands of sage-
brush ranging from 80 to 1500 acres 
Acknowledgement 
The author acknowledges with thanks the 
assistance of W. A. Low, Student Assistant, 
who helped wit h the 1960 survey; and Wm . 
L. Pringle , Agronomist, Ran ge Experiment-
al Farm , Kamloops, who located and pro-
were recorded as heavy. The hea vy 
ir.festations indicate that stunting 
:1.nd death of big sagebrush will con-
;,in ll e a t Kamloops. 
Discussion 
To da te , the sudden increase of T. 
pilosa has not been satisfactorily ex-
pla ined. It has been postulated that 
a n ew physiological strain may have 
developed, or that a hybrid may h a ve 
developed from a crossing of two 
Tri r habda species present in the area . 
A [; ingle factor such as greater long-
eyi ty of the adults and therefore 
grea ter fecundity , or particularly 
fa vourable environmental or host 
plant conditions, might explain the 
h e!1. vy feeding damage which has re-
sult.ed in killing some big sagebrush. 
Summary 
1'. pilosa Blake appears to be gen-
el"ally distributed in stands of big 
sag,~brush, Artemisia tridentata Nutt., 
in Eouth-central British Columbia . In 
most areas fOliage feeding by light 
infestations of this insect has caused 
little or no apparent damage. How-
ever , in the Kamloops area, feeding 
by heavy infestations has killed or 
se verely retarded the growth of big 
sag'ebrush on more than 3500 acres 
of rang'e1and . 
"ided information regarding certain T. 
pilosa sites, and identified plants. The 
guidance and editorial assistance of Dr. R. 
H. H;,ndford, Officer,in-Charge of this 
laboratory, are also gratefully acknowl-
Edged . 
References 
1. Arnott. D. A. 1956. Occurrence of Trirhabda pilosa Blake (Coleoptera: Chrysom-
elidae ) on sage brush in Briti sh Colurnb;a , with noles on life history. Proc. En!. 
Soc. Briti sh Columbia , 53: 14-15, 
2. Blake, Doris H. 1931. Revision of th~ spC'ci es of beetles of the genus Trirhabda 
north of Mexico . Proc . U.S. Nat. Mus. 79 (2). 
3. Pringle , Wm. L. 1960. The effect of a leaf feeding bee tl e on big sagebrush in Briti sh 
Columbia. ,J. Ran ge M:magement , 13: 139-142. 


Distribution of Trirhabda Pilosa Blake (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), attacking big sagebrush in the interior of British Columbia

Marshall, J.

52 
MISCELLANEOUS 
In British Columbia the pollination 
of cranberries, greenhouse cucumbers. 
melons and holly has had little atten-
tion by research or extension workers. 
References 
Arrand , J. C. , J. Corn er. 1960. Observations in the Interior of British Columbia during 
1959 of the e ffect on honeybees of orchard spray ing with Sevin . Proc. B.C. 
Ent. Soc. 57 : 21. 
Anderson , L. D. and E . L. Atkins, Jr . 1959. The toxic e fl'ects of pesticid es on bees, 
Agric . Chern . 14 (7): 59. 
Bohart, G. E. 1960. Insect pollinat ion of forage legum es. Bee World 41: 57-64, 85-97. 
Free, J. B. 1960. The pollination of fruit trees. Bee Wodd 41 : 141-151, 169-186. 
Johansen , Carl , 1960. Bee poisoning, a haza rd of applying agricultural chemicals. Wash-
ington State University, Sta. Circ. 356, Revised Jan . 
Merrill , T. A., 1936. Pollination of th e hi ghbu sh blue berry. Tech. Bul. No. 151 , Agric. 
Exp. St. , MichigulJ State College . 
Stephen , W. P . 1955. Alfalfa pollination in Manitoba. J . Econ . Ent. 48: 543-548. 
Todd , Frank E., S. E. McGregor. 1960. The use of honey bees in the production of crops. 
Ann. Rev. Ent. 5: 265·278. 
MUSINGS OF A RESEARCH OFFICER, AGRICULTURE (ENTOMOLOGY) 
J. MARSHALL, Research Station, Summerland, B.C. 
En tomological research in Canada 
grew from virtually nothing in 1918 
to a well organized profession 40 
years later. There were at first more 
positions to be filled than trained 
f'ntomologists to fill them, and so men 
with some background in zoology , 
and even amateur insect collectors, 
were pressed into service. It was not 
by chance that a number of those 
entomological pioneers were born in 
England , or were sons of English par-
ents. The English , generally speaking, 
have a more lively interest in insects 
and other aspects of nature study 
than Canadians. Since the beginnings 
of entomology in this country a t least 
n ine of our universities have institut-
ed Depa rtments of Entomology, or 
courses in Entomology. The colorful 
da y of the amateur entomologist 
turned professional is over. 
Since many of the early problems 
in entomology h ad to be solved 
quickly and with no nonsense , the 
pioneers of the science tended , on the 
whole , to emphasize the practical 
viewpoint ; and they did well with it . 
Then, as the more straightforward 
problems were cleared up, a ttention 
had to be paid to less obvious issues. 
There arose a growing band of brigh t 
and shining young college graduates 
complete with Ph.D. degrees and a 
tendency to regard their predecessors 
as well intentioned but really some-
what ignorant cha ps. One scintillat-
i!1.g mind has ~:ummed it up in a 
word-"nozzle-heads", he calls the 
pioneer entomologists and those of 
his contemporaries who work in ap-
plied research . 
Entomology in much of the western 
world has been going through a sort 
of scientific adolescence, a period 
when on the Slightest pretext, the 
a mateur statistician churns his ex-
perimental results in an electrical 
calcula tor until finally they butter 
into so me sort of statistica l odds. 
There is an urge to substitute statis-
Lical formulae for common sense . 
Even simple bits of research may 
emerge so gaudily bedecked in statis-
tica l finery that only a knowing few 
would ever guess their true stature. 
Perha ps the entomologists, and other 
biologists , have been moved to strive 
for profundity in the belief that if 
t·l1 e layman can comprehend it can't 
P",o('. 1';-"TfI .II4l1.. SO" . Gin ... . C OloI'.II 1:1 .1. Yol.. ,,8 (l~ltil l. DEc. I. 1961 53 
be science. Public awe of the mys-
teries of atomic science may have 
played a part here too . 
Happily there are signs that Judg-
ment, queen of human attributes, 
may be coming back into her own. 
What, in the argot, might be called 
the beatnik period of agricultural 
~cience seems to be on the wane . Of 
Jate more papers have been appearing 
in which the author, defying fashion , 
has ·.beel1 . content , to , state in plain 
English 'the comhtib'ns of the experi-
ment and the results, Readers have 
been given credit for sufficient in-
telligence to assess the results with-
out recourse to mechanica l predi-
~estion. 
Numbers of our agricultural scien-
tists come from the towns and cities, 
and have never known the vicissi-
tudes of farming , Although they 
might protest the point they have the 
townsman's outlook on fa rming, a 
profession that can be carried on 
:> llccessfully by an intelligent man 
with but little formal schooling'. More 
by their a ctions perhaps, tha n by 
their words, they emphasize that they 
a re scientists first , agriculturists sec-
ond , and farmers not at all. Since the 
promotions of scientific workers in 
farming are not authorized by th e 
farmers themselves it is not surpri s-
ing tha t the agricultura l sc ientist can 
drift a way almost completely from 
th e r eali ties of life on the farm yet do 
Iwtter financially than it' h e had 
IJusied himself with the farmer' s 
worries. Those of us who may be a 
t.rifle cynical have often noticed a 
tendency to identify intelligence with 
the business suit or , more pa rticu-
I:lrly , with the white laboratory coat, 
But, in fact, the agricultural scien-
tis t h as good reason to respec t the 
a bility a nd intelligence that a re re-
Quired for successful farming , Likely 
as not numbers of the so-called dirt 
fa rmers for whom, in the long run , 
he is working are at least his intellec-
tual equals if not his superiors. 
In the administrative circles of 
agricultural science there is an un-
derstandable proneness to equate a 
!'esearch worker's ability with the 
number and apparent profundity of 
his publications . The trouble is that 
to a ward a quid of salary for a quo 
of productive effort is to some degree 
a subjective matter as well as an 
objective one , and the administrator 
may be hard put to assess either as-
pect accurately. One of the crying 
needs in agricultural research, as 
indeed in many another field of 
human endeavour, is a better method 
of estimating' the va lue of an indiv-
idual's work to his fellow-man- some 
reliable means of stripping off the 
"howier trappings of erudition and 
exposing what 's underneath. This 
hardly seems to be the sort of job 
that the computer people will ever 
be able to solve ; but maybe it is just 
as well that intrinsic human worth is 
not susceptible to mathematical 
~ naiysis, In any case granting that 
every research worker should h ave to 
prod nce evidence that justifies his 
salary, today's pressure to publish can 
ha rdly be considered a boon to 
science. Certainly the literature of 
ag ricul tura l science , including en to-
mology , is coming to wear pretty 
baggy britches. Its bulk seems to be 
greater than the substance warrants, 
These rema rks can be summarized 
in a few words. They urge less hum-
l;ug in agricultura l research, ancl 
more understanding of the farm er' s 
problems. They urge less concern 
with the pay cheque, and more con-
cern with a good day's work. 


Musings of a Research Officer, Agriculture (Entomology)

Forbes, A. R.

OVIPOSITION OF THE CABBAGE FLY, HYLEMYA BRASSICAE (BOUCHE ) 
(DIPTERA: ANTHOMYIIDAE) IN COASTAL BRITISH COLUMBIA l 
A. R. FOR BES 
The cabbage maggot, H ylemya 
brassicae (Bouch e ) , is the most ser-
iou s pest of cole crops in British 
Columbia (Forbes a nd Finlayson, 
1957) . Its biology was stud ied from 
1947-1956 in connection with exten-
s i ve fi eld experiments which resu l ted 
in highly eff.ective control m easures 
wi th chlorinated h ydrocarbon insec-
ticid es. By 1960 a stra in of H. bras-
sicae resistant to the chlorina ted 
h ydrocarbons was es tablished on 
Vancouver I sland . This pa per r ecords 
results of the 1947-1956 ovipositio n 
studies which m ay be use ful in efforts 
to achieve control of this pes t a gain. 
Methods 
Mos t of th e observations wer e mad e 
on cabbages and rutabaga s grown in 
loa my sand or clay loam on a s ingle 
farm near Victoria . Egg counts were 
mad e in 1956 on cabbages grown in 
sandy-loam at Vancouver . 
The beginning ot' egg-layin g each 
yea r was determined by searching for 
eggs in the soil a round large numbers 
of seedlings in seedbeds a nd you n g 
transpla nts in the field a s frequently 
as possibl e du ring April and early 
May. 
The eggs a round each ot' 10 plants 
were counted twice weekly during the 
oviposition period ot' the years 1952-
1956. The same pla nts were used for 
each count, except th at young cab -
bage pla nts were substitu ted as the 
older ones m a tured and wer e har-
ves ted. All th e eggs found were re-
m oved with a moisten ed ca m el hair 
brush . 
1 Cont.rib ution :,\,10. -16. Researc h Stat ion. Ih~~ 
seitrch Branch , Cana da Depar trn cnt of .. \ O" !"i culture 
66(-i(J N. \"' . l\la l' in e Dri \'e : Yan cou\"er H. B.C. ' 
Resu lts and Discuss ion 
At Victoria th e fli es began to 
emerge from th e overwinter ed pu-
pa ria dur ing the firs t long wa rm 
per iod during April or May a nd began 
to la y eggs a bout a week thereafter. 
In th e 9 yea r s unde r 'stud y, the 
earliest a nd la test dates for the star t 
of egg-laying were April 23 and May 
8, r espec tively (Ta bl e 1. ). 
TABLE I.- Beginning of egg- laying by th e 
ca bbage fly, Hyl emya b rassic ae 
(Bouc he). at Vi ctori a, B. C .. 
1947-1956. 
Year Date 
1947 April 23 
1948 April 26 
1949 Apri l 25 
1950 ~1ay 8 
1951 May 3 
1952 April 24 
1953 April 24 
1955 May 2 
1956 May 2 
Representa tive egg-count data a r e 
presen ted graphicall y (Fig . 1) . 
These data and oth ers not r eported 
show th at eggs a r e la id through out 
the growing season but that 3 periods 
of r elatively h eavier egg-layin g occur . 
The times of this h eavier egg-l ay ing 
varied with the season bu t wer e gen-
era lly in May, mid-Jun e to mid-July, 
and mid-August to mid-September. 
Fie ld observa tions and cage studies 
sh owe:l that these periods of heavie r 
egg - lay ing followed clo '3ely th e 
appear ance of overwinter ed , fir s t , a nd 
second generation fli es a nd therefor e 
r epresent th e times of deposition of 
most of t h e fi rst, seco nd , a nd third 
generation eggs. 
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Egg deposition in spring appear s to 
be heavier than in summer (Fig. 1). 
This h as also been noted by Gibson & 
Trehern e (1916) in British Columbia, 
by Miles (1953) in England. and by 
de Wild e (1947) and Ya m an (1960) in 
the Netherlands . Mil es considers that 
this is not due to lack of adu lts but 
rather to th e fact that th e environ-
m en t in summer provides littl e food 
to s ustain the a d ul ts an d a s a r esult 
th ey do not survive to complete ovi -
position. De Wild e implicates pa ra-
sites, predators, and weather concli-
tions . In the loca lities of the presen t 
Btuclies s till another factor was in-
volved: as the season advanced there 
was present a progressively gr eater 
acreage at cole crops over which the 
eggs were distributed a nd while the 
egg-laying of each generation m ay 
h a ve been equal or even successively 
greater, the number of eggs to be 
found on a sa mple of 10 plants was 
s m a ller . 
I n coastal British Columbia early 
cabbages attract large numbers of 
first and some second generation 
eggs . Later cabbages attract some 
fir s t and so m e third bu t mos tly sec-
ond generation eggs. Since ru tabagas 
are not usually seeded until la te June 
and are not favored for ovipo ·ition 
until mid -July, they r eceive mostly 
third generation eggs. 
Su mm ary 
Oviposition studies in coas tal Bri t -
ish Columbia f rom 1947- 1956 showed 
t hat the cabbage fly, HyZe nz,ya bras-
sicae (Bouche ) , begins to lay eggs in 
late April or early May. Some eggs are 
la id throughout the growin g season 
bu t per iods of heavier oviposition 
occur in May, mid-June to mid-July, 
and mid-Au gust to mid-September. 
Th ese a r e the times of deposition of 
most of the first, second , and third 
generation eggs. 
References 
F orbes, A. R. and D. G. Finl <1y~c n. 1957 Species of root maggots (Dipter a : Antho· 
myi iclae) of cruciferous cr ops in British Co lumbia . Proc . Ent. Soc. British 
Columbia 54: 25·28. 
Gibson , Arthur and R. C. Trehern c . J9]6 . The cabbage r oot maggot and its co ntrol in 
Canada with note s on thl~ imported onion maggot and the seed-corn ma ggot. 
Dominion of Ca n ada. Dept. Agr ., Ent. Branch Bul l. 12. 58 pp. 
Miles , Mary . 1953. Field st udi es en the: influence of wea ther conditions on egg-lay in g 
by th e cabbage ro ot fl y. Eri oi schia brass icae . Bche . L Ann. Appl. BioI. 40: 
717·725. 
Wild e , J . de . 1947. Onderzoek be lreffendc de Koo lvli eg e n zijn bestrijding. Net he r lands . 
Dir. van den Landb. Ver s lag. V:l n La ndbouwk . Onderzoe k 53 : 309-426. 
Yaman , I. K. Abu. 1960. Natura l control in cabbage root fly populations and influence 
of chemica ls. Meded. Landb'.> LI\·: hogeschool , Wageninge n 60: 1-57. 


Oviposition of the cabbage fly, Hylemya brassicae (Bouche) (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) in coastal British Columbia

MacCarthy, H. R.

PrlOL' . E.\'rO :l lO I. SO(". B IU T . C O I.I ·.llln .\ , VIl L. fill ( ] 962) , 1)1-:( '. 1. ] %2 ii !l 
BOOK REVIEW 
Insects, a GUide to Familiar Amer-
ican Insects. H. S. Zim and C. Cottam. 
New York, Simon & Schuster, 1956. 
Pp. 160. $1.00. 
One of the a vowed aims of our 
society is to encourage amateur 
entomology. Members who a re a sked 
to suggest a book for beginners need 
look no further than this really 
pocket-sized Golden Nature Guide. 
The authors are the ubiquitous Dr. 
H. S. Zim, Professor of Education a t 
the University of Illinois, and Dr. 
Clarence Cottam, Director of the 
Welder Wildlife Foundation , Former -
ly Assistant Director of the U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service . The all-import-
ant illustrations are by James Gordon 
Irving. These are all in color, mostly 
showing food plants or other back-
ground. It is surprising that the book 
is not better known for this is th e 
revised second edition ; the fir st edi-
tion appeared in 1951. 
To save space there is no ta ble of 
contents, but there is an index . The 
book opens with directions and a 
short descriptive key to 15 orders with 
typical specimens illustra ted . Then 
comes a 10-page outline, givin g one 
or 2 paragraphs each on : what insects 
are; insect relatives; numbers ; in -
sects and man ; insec ts in their place; 
con trol ; family tree ; structure; when 
a nd where to look; and how to set 
a bout collecting and studying. Later 
2 pages of text describe and distin-
guish between butterflies and moths. 
These pages are enlivened by mar-
gin a l a nd text pictures. Most of the 
225 species on 135 pages have their 
r a n ges shown on small maps, cover-
ing North America from just south of 
the Mexican border to about 200 miles 
into Canada . Naturally, the species 
include some not found in Canada, 
nevertheless all the insects are com-
mon but showy or striking in some 
wa y. SCientific names of all the 
species illustra ted, are given in a sec-
ond index by page numbers. There is 
also a n annota ted list of 6 books to 
cover the next stage of study or 
inquiry. These are: Comstock, J. H. , 
An Intmduction t o Entomology ; 
Jaques, H . E ., How t o know the In-
sects; Klots , A. B ., A Field Guide to 
the Butter/lies; Lutz, F. E ., Field Book 
0/ Insect s; Sw ai n , R. , The Insect 
Guide; and Urquhart , F . A ., Introduc-
ing the Insect . 
In sum, this little book is a miracle 
of compression . For price, coverage, 
and sh eer a ttractiveness it has no 
peer . 
- /-I . H . M«I'('(/r ll'J/ . 


Book Review: Insects: A Guide to Familiar American Insects, by H.S. Zim and C. Cottam

Ross, D. A.

Arrand, J.

32 PROC. EJ'iiTOMOL. Soc . BRIT. COr.UMBIA. VOl.. 60 (1963 ) , DEC. 1, 1963 
Hille Ris Lambers, D. 1953. Contributions to a monograph of the Aphididae of Europe, 
V. Temminckia 9: 1-176. 
Kennedy, J . S., M. F. Day, and V. F. Eastop. 1962. A conspectus of aphids as vectors of 
plant viruses. Commpnwealth Inst. Entomol., London. 114 p. 
Legowski, T. J. , and H. C Gough. 1953. Observations on the bulb and P<Jtato aphid 
Rhopalosiphoninus latysiphon (Davidson) in East Anglia. Plant Pathol. 2: 126-
130. 
Swain, A. F . 1919. A synopsis of the Aphididae of California. Univ. Calif. Pub!. Entomol. 
_ 3: 1-22l. 
U.S. Department of Agriculture. Plant Pest Control Division, Agricultural Research 
Service. 1960. Cooperative economic insect report 10: 997. 
PRELIMINARY INSECTICIDE TESTS AGAINST THE DOUGLAS-FIR 
NEEDLE MI DGES, {ontarinia spp., LARKI N, B.C_, 1962' 
D. A. Ross2 AND J. ARRANDS 
Introduction 
Periodically, Douglas-fir trees in 
portions of the southern interior of 
British Columbia are severely infest-
ed with needle midges, Contarinia 
spp. Needles attacked by larvae of 
these tiny gall midges become dis-
torted and discoloured, and dehisce. 
Even light infestations can degrade 
the market value of Christmas trees 
or mar the appearance of shade trees. 
Recently the Christmas tree indus-
try, which in 1961 grossed approxi-
mately two million dollars in British 
Columbia, has become concerned over 
midge damage; also, home owners 
have requested advice on use of insec-
ticides to protect Douglas-fir shade 
trees. 
Life histories and bionomics of the 
Douglas-fir needle midges of British 
Columbia were investigated by S. F. 
Condrashoff (1962a, 1962b) . The 
ad ul ts emerge from the ground in 
Mayas the Douglas-fir buds are open-
ing, and eggs are depOSited on the 
new needles. Shortly after hatching, 
the maggots enter the new needles 
and feed there until October, when 
they drop to overwinter in the ground. 
The life history studies indicated 
that insecticides directed at emerg-
ing adults or at newly hatched larvae 
should be most effective for control. 
,Contribution No. 988, Forest Entomology and 
Pathology Branch, Department of Forestry, 
Ottawa, Canada. 
2Forest Entomology Laboratory, Vernon, B.C. 
sAsst. Provincial Entomologist. Vernon, B.C. 
Methods and Results 
The test was carried out at Larkin, 
B.C. Five trees from five to seven feet 
high were used for each treatment 
and another five were left unsprayed 
as checks. Insecticides were applied 
with a hand sprayer until the run-off 
point was reached. Thiodan and DDT 
emulsions and a lindane suspension 
were the insecticides tested. One 
imperial gaUon of water was added to 
each of the following quantities of 
commercial concentrates to obtain 
the finished formulations : 
3 f1. oz. Thiodan emulsifiable concen-
trate containing 2 lb. technical 
Thiodan per imperial gallon 
2 fl. oz. DDT emulsifiable concentrate 
containing 2.5 lb. technical DDT 
per imperial gallon 
3 teaspoons of 25% lindane wettable 
powder 
The concentrations of the finished 
sprays were: Thiodan-0.375%: DDT 
-0.312%; and lindane-0.12%. 
The midges were first observed in 
flight on May 14, and the sprays were 
applied during the morning of May 
16. At the time of spraying, most of 
the buds on the majority of test trees 
had opened; none on one of the check 
trees had opened. This variation is 
common in a natural stand of 
Douglas-fir. 
PROC. E NTOMOL. Sor. BRIT. COLUMBIA. VOL. 60 (1963), DEC. 1, 1963 33 
Immediately after .spraying, five 
open buds were picked at random 
from each check and each test tree . 
Three to eleven eggs were present on 
each bud, and two of the fifty buds 
contained larvae. 
Late in the morning of May 17 the 
trees were examined for the presence 
of adults. Myriads were present about 
the four "check" trees with open 
buds, while none was seen among the 
foliage of the check tree with un-
opened buds. None to five adults were 
observed in fiight among individual 
sprayed trees. 
On May 21 , five open buds from 
each treatment were examined. Table 
1 shows the average number of eggs 
and larvae per bud. 
TABLE I·-Average Number of Contarinia 
Eggs and Larvae per Bud on Five 
Opened Buds from each Treat-
ment Five Days after Spraying. 
Treatment 
(May 16, 1962) 
Check 
Lindane 
Thiodan 
DDT 
Eggs 
18.0 
5.5 
2.7 
1.5 
Larvae 
5 
t·g 1 most larvae 
0:2 f dead 
The results shown in Table 1 indi-
cate that more eggs were deposited 
on the unswayed trees than on the 
sprayed trees during the period May 
17 to 21. Presumably adults were 
killed or repelled by the insecticides. 
Final effectiveness of the sprays was 
assessed during the last week of Aug-
ust, 1962, when damaged needles 
were easily recognized. Percentage 
infestation was determined from ten 
terminal twigs picked at random at 
about breast height from each tree 
(Table 2). 
TABLE 2-Percentage Infestation of Cur-
rent Year's Douglas·fir Needles 
by Contarinia spp., Larkin, B.C., 
August, 1962. 
Treatment 
(May 16, 1962) 
Check 
Lindane 
DDT 
Thiodan 
Average 
17.5 
12.7 
4.0 
2.0 
Range 
*10-28 
4-25 
3-6 
0.1-5 
.. Check tree with unopened buds at the time 
of spraying. 
The control achieved with DDT or 
Thiodan as indicated in Table 2 would 
be adequate for the Christmas tree 
industry; the colour and growth of 
the current year's foliage was better 
than on the lindane-treated or the 
untreated trees. It should be noted 
that lindane was applied at about 
one third the rate of DDT and Thio-
dan which is in general line with 
usage of these chemicals against 
some pests of ornamentals. The check 
tree with the lowest infestation (10%) 
had no open buds at the time of treat-
ment. This suggests that much of the 
adult fiight was over by the time 
buds on this ,tree had opened. 
Summary 
At Larkin, B.C., in 1962, Thiodan 
and DDT applied with a hand sprayer 
at the time of bud opening gave satis-
factory ,control of the Douglas-fir 
needle midges., At the concentration 
used, lindane did not give adequate 
protection. The concentrations of the 
finished sprays were Thiodan 0.375%; 
DDT 0.312%; and lindane 0.12%. 
References 
Condrashoff, S. F. 1962a. Bionomics of three closely related species of Contarinia Rond. 
(Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) from Douglas·fir needles. Canad. Ent. 94: 376-94. 
- ------ 1962b. Douglas-fir needle midges--pests of Christmas trees in British 
Columbia. Canada Dept. of Forestry, Forest Ent. Lab., Vernon, B.C. June, 1962. 


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