Journal of the Entomological Society of British Columbia

Hardy, George A.

Caenrgina erechtea Blkme.

Smith, G. Stace

The Beetles of the Pacific Northwest, Part I: Introduction and Adephaga, by Melville H. Hatch.

Pielou, D. P.

Proverbs, M. D.

ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, PROC. (1958), VOL. 55, DEC. 22, 1958 3 
DIAZINON: A SUMMARY OF RECENT WORK ON A 
NEW ORCHARD INSECTICIDEl 
D . P. PIELOU and M. D. PROVERBS2 
Entomology Laboratory. Summerland, B.C. 
This paper is an inter im report 
summarizin g, up to the present, the 
main finding s of the Summerland 
Laborato ry on the in sect icide Dia-
z ll1on. 
Diazinon (Geigy Agricultural Chem-
icals, 1956) was introduced recently 
by th e Geigy Company of Switzerland , 
the firm that produced DDT and, 
therefore, la rgely initiat ed the modern 
era of pest control. Apparently Dia-
zinon wa s obtained in a sea rch for an 
in sect icid e that w ould control DDT 
resistant house fli es ; such a material 
besides ha ving high in sect icidal action, 
must have good re sidual action (on 
inanimate surfaces at least) and rel.L-
tively low human toxici t y. 
Chemically, Diazinon belongs tG the 
phosphoric acid ester group of enolis-
able heterocyclic system s. Described 
chemi cally as 0, O-diethyl 0-(2-isopro-
pyl-6-methy l-4-pyrimidi nyl) phosphor-
othioate , it is unusual in containing a 
pyrimidine, or 1, 3 diazine ring (a 
cyclic configuration of four carbon 
a nd two nitroge n atoms) together 
with a n isopropyl and a conventional 
organic phosphate g roup. The ex-
pense of adding the pyrimidyl group 
leaves some doub t as to whether the 
price of Diazinon can be made com-
petitive with o ther orcha rd insecti-
cides. At present the technical chem-
ical is imported from Swi tze rl and and 
only the formulat ion is done in the 
U.S.A. 
The data available on the toxicity 
of Diazinon to man and animals sug-
gest that it is mo re toxic than mala-
thion, but less toxic than parathion or 
TEPP, for example. According to 
Swiss workers (B uxtorf and Spindler, 
1954). resul ts on rats show that, by 
t . Contribution No. 3744, Entomology Division, 
Science Service, Department of Agricu lture, Ottawa, 
Canada. 
2. Entomologist and Assoc iate Entomologis t. 
oral administration, parathion is about 
60 tim es as toxic as Diazinon (so that 
Diazinon is approximately equal in 
toxicity t o DDT). Malathion is al-
most harmless to rats, being about 
one-tenth as toxic as DDT o r Dia-
zinon. !-{owever, with week-old calves, 
U.S. Department of Agriculture work-
ers (Radel eff et at., 1955) obtain ed le ss 
promi sing resul ts. Parathion, by oral 
admini strations, was fou nd to be twice 
a s toxic as Diazinon, Diazillon 20 
time s a s toxic a s malathion, and mala-
thion itself twe lve times as toxic as 
DDT. DDT, as far a s cah'es are con-
ce rned, is the leas t harmful material. 
The fact that DDT and malathion arc 
reversed in sequence of toxicity, as 
between rats and calves, shows the 
difficulty o f extrapolating such results 
to man and other animals on th e basis 
of we ight. Further, when the toxic 
act ion of dermal sprays on calves is 
considered, som ewhat different figures 
hold. Parathion is then ten times as 
toxic as Diazinon, and Diazinon ten 
time s as toxic as malathion. The last 
figures are probably the most valuable. 
I n the surface -to-weig h t ratio calves 
a l-e morc like men than rats, and 
danger in the orchard is more likely 
to come from dermal effects than 
fro m oral ingestion. 
One of the main points in favour of 
Diazinon as an orchard in secticide is 
that we have never obse rved any phy-
totoxic effects wi th either wettable 
powders o r em ul sions, even at much 
higher concentration than would ever 
be used in practice . And the likeli-
hood of spray damage is a major 
aspect to consider in the introduction 
of a pes ticide. We have not yet tested 
Diazinon agai nst a full range of fruit 
variet ies, in particular, against ye llow 
varieties of apples, in which there are 
reports from elsewhere (l3uxtorf anel 
Spi ndl er, 1954) of slig ht damage. As 
an example of our own results we 
-1 ENTOMOLOG ICAL SOC IETY OF BR ITI SH COLUMB IA, PROC. ( 1958), V OL. 55, D EC. 22, 1958 
may ci t e a compa ra ti ve test uf ma la-
thi un, a materia l that is pa r t icularl y 
likely tu damage cher ry, a nd diaz inon . 
Malat hion appli ed with a hi g h -yo lum e 
gun spraye r at e ig ht pound s of 2S pe r 
cent we ttable powder pe r 100 ga ilons 
(four t im es no rmal concen t ra tion ) 
cau sed seve re injury to cherry, moder -
ate injury to a prico t , and slig h t injury 
to peach . At do uble tha t st reng th 
the result was death, seve re injury, 
or to t a l defo lia tion to a ll soft fruit s 
except prunes. Bu t D iaz inon a t 30 
pound s of 25 pe r cent w e ttable powder 
pe r 100 ga ll ons (i .e. 15 tim es the 
recom mended dosage) did not cau se 
no ti ceable f ruit o r leaf injury to any 
ty pe o f fruit t ree, including cherry. 
H ig h res idua l act ion and stability 
are cl a imed fo r Diaz inon when used 
o n wall s. On li ving plant t issue the 
res idua l act ion is not necessa ril y the 
sa me. In li eu of specific chemi cal 
tes ts of deposi t decl inc, long t ernl 
act ion is demonst ra ted by sa ti sfac to ry 
co nt rol of some in sec t fo r w hi ch 
e ffect i ve cove rage is ne cessa ry ove r 
a n extended pe ri od. T he codling m oth , 
Carpocapsa pomollella (L.), the wor st 
orcha rcl enem y in B ri t ish Columbia, 
is the best example of such a n insect. 
A compa ri son was t he refo re made in 
1955 by Dr. J. Ma rsha ll (unpubli shed ) 
of the Sum m erl and laborato ry, us-
ing pa ired t rees in an o rcha rd heavil y 
in feste d w ith the mot h ; one t ree of 
each pa ir was sprayed w ith 50 pe r 
cent DDT 'wettable powder a t 1.5 
pounds per 100 gallons ( 12 oun ces of 
ac ti ve ingredien t), t he othe r w ith 25 
pe r cent Diaz inon wettabl e powde r a t 
t wo pound s pe r 100 gallons (8 ounces 
o f act ive ing redient). Seven tree pairs 
w ere used. ' T wo cove r sprays w ere 
appl ied aga in st the fi rst brood and one 
aga in st the second b rood. At t he end 
of th e season th e pe rcentage of wo rmy 
fruit w e re: DDT , 12.9: D iaz inon , 12.4: 
un sprayed check s. 79. 1. In 1956 
furth er t ri a ls were ca rried out in 
anoth e r heavily infes t ed orcha rd. In 
this ins tance a conce ntrate sprayer 
was used, a nd four cove r sprays o f 25 
pe r cent Di az inon we t table powder 
were applied a t nin e pound s (2.25 
pound s of ac t ive ing redient) pe r acre. 
,Fo r it compar ison, 50 pe r cent DDT 
\\'e ttab le powde r was applied at six 
pounds (t hree pounds of ac ti ve in-
g redi en t) per ac re. Bo th these ra tes 
a re somewha t lowe r th an w ould be 
used commercia lly . A t ha rves t time 
the percentages of w o rmy fruit we re 
10.7 in the DDT plot a nd 4 .8 in the 
Diaz inon plot. In view of the high 
infes ta tions in both o rchard s, and the 
concentra tions of acti ve ingredient s 
that we re used, the re is no doubt 
tha t Diazi non was at leas t as effec tive 
ag ain st t he codling moth as DDT. In 
the la t te r o rcha rd the eye-spott ed bud 
m uth. Spilonola ocellana (D. & S.) , was 
a lso abunda nt a nd the pe rcentages of 
fr uit show ing ty pical injury by thi s 
pes t at ha rvest t im e we r e: DDT plo t s, 
10.1 ; D iaz inon plo t s, 0.8. In ano ther 
o rcha rd 25 pe r ce nt Diaz inon vva s 
a pplied as a sin g le dilu te spray at t wo 
po und s pe r 100 ga llons aga in st t he 
bud m ot h on apple and cherry trees; 
con tro l was nea rl y perfect. 
A specia l poi nt o f in te res t w it h 
D iaz inon is t he ve ry wide range of 
o rcha rd pes t s tha t it is effective 
aga i'1 st. Particula r insecticides a ft en 
prove to be effec ti ve aga in st a pa r-
t icula r group of in sects - so il o r 
co tton in sec t s, fo r instance. Up to 
the prese nt th e re has been no sing le 
in sec ti cide w ith a w ide "spect rum" 
against o r cha rd in sects. DDT a nd 
parathi on toge th e r, o r DDT and m ala-
th ion toge the r , have been t he nea res t 
a pproach to thi s. Diaz inon we con-
sider to be an in sec ti cide th a t will do 
a ll eith e r of t hese com bi na tions w ill 
do, a nd pe rh aps som ething mo re as 
we ll. 
Diaz inon is the refore a "g enera l" 
in sect icide. In t he pas t , vvhen en-
tomologist s in Briti sh Columbi a we re 
mor e conce rned abou t hy poth eti cal 
da nge r s from th e des truction o f pa ra-
sit es o r preda tor s, th ey w ere more 
prone to recomm end se lec ti ve in secti· 
cides as a sa feg ua rd . It a ppear s to 
t he autho rs, how ever, that di sharmony 
(suffi cient to cause economi c loss ) 
be tween chemi cal control a nd na tural 
control of in sec t s by indigenous 
enemi es has bee n overs tated, at leas t 
under the condit ions o f the semi -a rid 
ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF B RITISH COLUMBIA, PROC. (1958), VOL. 55 , D EC. 22, 1958 ) 
British Columbia in te rior. Further , 
biological control with introduced 
parasites plays a minor par t a mong 
all bu t two orchard pests in this part 
of Briti sh Columbia . There is, there-
fore, a lessening of int e res t in Briti sh 
Columbia in highly se lective insecti-
cides (which mean a multiplicity of 
materia ls and costs) and a revival of 
interest in more general insecticides 
th at promise cheape r, or. at least, 
sim pler spray sched ul es; thi s point of 
view is readily appreciated by the 
grower. 
T he effectiveness of D i a z i n o n 
against the codling moth has already 
been mentioned. T hi s is important 
from anoth er aspect. Resistance to 
DDT, which ,"vas deve loped qui ckly 
in specie s like hou se Hies. is, after a 
longer period of grace, beginning to 
appear ill the codling mo th . In one 
a rea of Austra lia it is extremely hig h 
(Sm ith, 1955) ; it is noticeable in parts 
of the ea stern U.S.A. (Clancy, 1955) 
a nd there are reports of m easurable 
increases in re sistance from Washing-
ton Sta te. It may be expected in 
British Columbia in time. Diazinon 
appears to be an answer. 
Against aphids, both on apple and 
on stone fruits , the m aterial is excel-
lent. At one or two pounds per 100 
gallons perfect control has been ob-
tained against the black cherry aphid, 
Myzus cel'as; (F.) ; th e green peach aphid, 
Myzus pers;cae (Sulz.); the mealy plum 
aphid, Hyalopterus pruni (Geof.) [= 
H. arund;n;s (F.)] ; the thistle aphid, 
Anuraph;s cardu; (L.); the woolly apple 
aphid, Er;osoma lan;gerum (Hausm.); 
and the apple aphid, Aphis pom; Deg. 
Against the black cherry aphid, Dia-
zinon seems to have a special place, 
because mala thion readily damages 
cherry, pa ra thion is not recommended 
because of toxicity to human beings, 
lindane is apt to taint the fruit, and 
nicotine is often ineffective at low 
temperature s early in the season when 
spraying is necessary. Even if a g row-
er has failed to spray ea rly in a sea-
son, when other aphi cides a r e most 
va luable, he can get adeq uate control 
o f the black cherry aphid w ith a sum-
mer a pplication of Diazinon even 
thoug h th e aphicl s a re then protected 
by the tightly curled foliage. Similar-
ly, the green peach aphid was per-
fectly controlled in 1954 with Diazinon , 
in a~ o rcha rd where mala thion had 
ea rli e r proved unsatisfactory. With 
the apple aph id, howeve r, re-infesta-
tion from neighbouring or chards is a 
constant problem and against that 
species Diazinon has been no be tter 
t han malathion or lindane. Under the 
seve re aphid a t tacks of 1955 and 1956 
repea ted spraying was, therefore, 
necessa ry with Diaz in on as with other 
mate rial s. In comm ercial orcha rds 
it is expensive to apply insec ticides 
repeatedly fo r aph id s only. H owever, 
if th e insect icide is used for other 
purposes (e.g., Diazinon for the cod-
ling m oth cover sprays), rep~ated 
application may be economIcally 
feas ible. 
Diazinon g ives good control o f ove r-
wintered nym phs of soft scales, Lecall-
ium spp., on peach and apri cot. It is 
a lso eff ec tive as an early summ er spray 
again st the San Jose scale, AsPidio!us 
pemiciosus Comst. 
Again st o rchard mite s, Diazinon, in 
a single appli ca tion, has g iven very 
good result s against the active stages 
of the clove r mite , Bryobia arborea 
M. & A . (B. praetiosa of authors, in 
part); the European red mite, Metate-
,ranychus ulm; (Koch) ; the yellow mite, 
El)letranychus carpini (Oudms.) [=E. 
carpini borealis (Ewing)] ; the McDaniel 
spider mite, T etranychus mcdaniel; McG.; 
a nd the apple rust mite, Vasates schlech-
tendali (Nal.) (Downing, 1957). How-
ever, re sidual control is not so good 
as with specific miti cides. But if Dia-
zinon were applied in the repeated 
cove r sprays for codling moth con-
trol, growe rs would probably be little 
conce rned with mites unles s phos-
phate-resistant strains of th e European 
red mite were present . Diazinon is 
not effective against such mite s. At 
th e present th ey pose a majo r problem 
fo r w hi ch specifi c miticides a re requir-
ed. Apart from thi s, however, Dia-
zinon has an advantage over specifi c 
miti cic1es in that mos t of them ha ve 
a tendency to c1maage fo liage. 
6 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, PROC. (1958), VOL. 55, DEC. 22, 1958 
We have done no tes ts with Dia-
zinon against the rosy apple aphid, 
the pear psylla, "cat facing" bugs, or 
cherry fruit flies, but results from 
elsewhere indicate that Diazinon is 
very effective in these cases. 
References 
Buxtorf, A., and M. Spindel', editors. 1954. Fifteen years of Geigy pest control. Trans-
lated by B. Ireland and R. Truan. Geigy S. A. Basic, Switzerland. 
Clancy, D. W. 1955. Effects of spray practices on apple pests and their natura l enemies. 
Mountaineer Grower 25(206) :11-2l. 
Clancy, D. W. and H. J. ,McAlister. 1956. Selective insecticides as aids to biological con-
trol of apple pests. J, Econ. Ent. 49, 196-202. 
Downing, R. S, 1958. Recent tria ls with new acaricides in British Columbia orchards. 
Can. J. Plant Sci. 38: 61-66, 
Geigy Agricultural Chemicals. 1956. Diazinon Technical Bulletin No. 56-\. New York, 
N.Y. 
Radeleff, R. D., G. T. Woodward, W . J. Nicherson, and R. C. Bushland. 1955. The acute 
toxicity of ch lorina ted hydrocarbon and organic phosphorus insecticides to livestock. 
U nited States Dept. Agr. Tech. Bull. 1122. Washington, D.C. 
Smith, L. C. 1955. DDT resistant codling m oth. Report on the 1954-1955 control trials. 
J. Dept. Agr. South Australia 59: 12-15. 
TICK PARALYSIS IN CATTLE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA IN 19571 
J. D. GREGSON2 
Entomology Laboratory, Kamloops, B.C. 
Several serious outbreaks of tick 
pa ralys is in ca ttle were caused by the 
Rocky Mountain wood tick, Dermacen-
tor andersoni Sti le s, in the Nicola-Kam-
loops area of British Columbia in the 
spring of 1957. These were favoured 
by prolonged tick activity during a 
late spring, and by lack of, o r inade-
quate, spraying of animals with BRe. 
Several rain showers a lso se rved to 
wea ken re sidues that o rigina lly may 
have been sufficient ly strong to afford 
normal protection from the ticks. 
The first outbreak occurred on April 
10 a t the J. L aude r ranch , Merritt. 
Three hundred yearling cattle, which 
had not been bothered by ticks during 
the past three yea rs and hence had not 
been sprayed , became infested with 
clusters of several dozen engorg ing 
ticks per animal. Ten were paralyzed 
in the field; three o f the se died. The 
remaining animals were rounded up 
and sprayed the following day with 
BRC at the I'ecommended rate o f 4 
ounces of wettable powder (Ortho 
BHC 10 Wettable, 10 per cent gamma 
1. Contribution Xo. 3826, Entolllolog y Di vision, 
Sc il'l'I ce Se n -ice, Department of Agriculture , Ottawa, 
Canada. 
2. Entomologist . 
isome r ; California Spray-Chemical 
Corporation, Portland, Oregon) per 
gallon o f water. 
On April 19, at Drew's ranch, Stump 
Lake, 32 yearlings in a herd of 118 
became paralyzed. The herd, which 
had been sprayed with BRC wettable 
powder (O rtho BRC 10 Wettable) at 
2 ounces per gallon of water two 
weeks previously, was res prayed; and 
st r icken anim als were deticked in the 
fi eld and each given 600,000 units of 
penicillin to safeguard against pneu-
m onia. Seven animals died, 
The following day a la rge outbreak 
was reported by the Nicola Stock 
Compa ny at w hat is known locally as 
th e Saxon Field, about six miles up 
Quilchena Creek. This a rea ha s been 
heavi ly infested with ticks fo r many 
years, and in 1944, in a derri s-s prayed 
herd of 1,230 yearlings, 400 were 
para lyzed and 50 were los t. In 1957, 
the herd had been sprayed with BRC, 
but at on ly 1- ounce of wettable powder 
(Ortho BRe 10 Wettable) per gallon 
of wate r, r esulting in little residual 
protection. When the writer visited 
the area on April 21, nine cowboys 
were searching some ten square miles 


English

Diazinon: A summary of recent work on a new orchard insecticide

ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF BRITISH COL U MBIA, PROc. (1958) , VOL. 55, DEC. 22 , 1958 27 
and branch t erminal s are th e most 
conspicuous evidence of infe s tation ; 
because m o rtality occurs b e for e 
growth is compl e ted. the needle s o f 
th e dead shoot s are not fully expanded. 
The second type of injury is caused 
by the breakage at the larval exit hole , 
of shoots that would otherwise have 
survived ; th e third is the di s tortion of 
g rowth of shoots survlvlDg borer 
a ttack. 
Near Cascade in a sample of 47 
ponderosa pine saplings betw een 4 and 
10 feet in heig ht, 40 pe r cent were in-
fested in 1957, 70 per cent of the in-
fested shoot s di ed after la rval 
em ergence . whil e the remainder suf-
fered va ry ing degree s of deformity. 
Reference .. 
H einri ch, Carl. 1923. Revi sion of th e North American Moths o f the S ub family Eucos-
minae of th e Family Olethrcutidae. U . S. Nat. Mu seum Dull. 123. 
NOTES ON THE LIFE HISTORIES OF THREE SPECIES OF 
LEPIDOPTERA FROM SOUTHERN Y ANCOUYER ISLAND, 
BRITISH COLUMBIA 
GEORGE A . HARDY 
Provincial Museum 
The foll o wing butterRy and t wo 
mo th s do no t seem to have had th eir 
ear ly stages desc ribed in a ny readily 
referable publication, if at a ll. Accord-
ing ly, they are submi tted in the hope 
that they will be of in terest to st udent s 
of thi s g roup. 
S peyeria bremllerii Edw. 
A fema le of thi s large l\'ympha lid 
butte rA y , caught in Saanich , wa s con-
fin ed ove r a g rowing plant of V iola 
palllslris on A ugust 11 , 19:;6. By 
August 19 it had laid between 30 and 
40 ova, scatte l-ed abo ut the s tem a nd 
leaves a nd among the surrounding 
m oss . 
Th e eggs hatc hed August 31, a nd 
aft e r consuming the eggs hell s, th e 
lar vae we n t in to a dormant conditi on. 
They bask ed in th e sun shi ne on \"arm 
days, bu t no furth e r feeding o r g rowth 
wa s noted. Th e 10 in . po t conta ining 
the young la r vae was pl aced ou t of 
doors under the eave at the south 
sid e of the house, where they rem a in -
ed for the rest of th e winte r. 
Ovum. Size 1.0 by .60 ml11., conl c-
truncate, coa rse lv ribbed and cross-
ri bbed, shiny; dl;Il cream. 
_ Larva. 1st Instar. Length 2 mm. 
Head jet blac k, shiny. Body drab dirt 
co lour, with a small shiny, black, 
ce r vica l plate on T.l ; rest o f body with 
long. fi ne, un-bran ched, b lack ha irs. 
By March 29, 195 7, th e whole brood 
see med to h ave hibe rnated success-
fully and was com m encin g to nibble on 
pansy shoots. By A pril 9 they we re 
-+-5 111m . long, t he co lour a s befo re. 
Th e cate rpill a r s we re g rega rious, 
bun ching up in sunny patches when 
not fced in g on the ye ll ow pan sy leaves 
o r th e " io let which \\'a s then becom-
ing available . 
2nd Instar. Apr il 16. Length 5 111111. 
Head shiny, black. n()ll), bla ck \\·ith 
black bran ch ed spine s ari s in g [ro ln the 
usua l tube rcl es. They s till ma ssed to-
ge the r wh en not feeding. 
3rd Instar. Apri l 22. L ength 8 111 Ill. 
Head as be fo re. Body a s befo re bu t 
thin g reyi sh subclo r sa ls ev ident. 
4th Instar. May 10. Length 10-
12 111m . Bead black, sparse ly sho r t-
ha irecl. Body blue-grey due to w hiti sh 
Il ecks on a fu scous and ochre back-
g round; a black do rsa l and a da rk 
long itudina l lin e connecting th e tu-
be rcl es; tubercl es ye llowish, 1110s t 
not icea bl e on the spiracular row. The 
ca t e rpill a r s became m o re independent 
a nd d id not mass together so III Ll ch. 
Jjy May 16 the length va ri ecl from 
28 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, PI\Oc. (19 58), VOL. 55, D EC. 22, 1958 
12-18 mm. By May 18 th ey w ere 
feeding ravenously, so that 30 had to 
be tran sfe rred to ano ther Howe r pot. 
5th Instar. May 27th. Length 30 
mm . H ead du ll black, pale buff mot-
tlings on sides. Body black faintly 
fre ckled with buff . Spines shorte r on 
T.l, bases of shafts black on fir st two 
r ows , ye llowish on row s 3 and 4. A 
double dorsa l line of pa le milky white 
with 2 black spots each side of do rsum 
of each segment, underside con color-
ous with the upper, spiracles grey 
ringed with black. On June 10 the 
largest were fully fed and 40 mm. 
long . Some of the sm a llest, however, 
were only half this length . The larg-
est specimens pupated on June 11. 
Several more pupa ted on June 23 a nd 
o thers w ere preparing to do so. 
Pupa. Pupation took place in a 
slight hollow under a root o r loose 
tuft of g rass. The cavity was usual -
ly longer than high and was thinly 
lined with silk. The pupa was attach-
ed to th e upper side and hung 
horizonta lly due to th e rig id upward 
cur ve o f the la st three segments. Size 
18 by 6 Illm . not counting the curve 
of t he las t segm ent s; smooth a nd dull , 
due to ve ry fin e et chings. Colour 
piceo us w ith och re o r clay-coloured 
spo ts and patches on th e wing-case!', 
and a broad band of the s;l me colour 
on the a bdol11inal segments; spiracles 
bl ack . Cremas ter a close ly packed 
group of sho rt , s tout, outwardly curv-
ed, hooked ha irs on the trun cate sum-
mit of a thi ck , rugose extension of 
th e last segment. 
Imago. Emerged singly over the 
peri od from Jul y 2 to Augu st 24, 
1957. 
A emilia roseala Wlk. 
This fine Arctiid moth has a W1l1 g 
expan se o f 33-35 ml11. The fore -
wings a re a bri ght brick red freely 
and evenly spotted with pa le ye llow 
clay colour; the hinclwings a l'e white 
tinged 'with pink. An oppo rtunity to 
st udy the li fe hi s to ry was afforded by 
th e capture ;It li ght in Saani ch, of a 
gravid fema le w hi ch laid more than 
20 OV ;I by Jul y 30, 1957. Th e ova ,,'e re 
sca ttered irregularly in small groups 
on the sides o f the container. 
Ovum. Size 1.10 by .75 mm. 
g lobular with a flattened base, smooth , 
shiny, with close mi cro scopic punctua-
tion; pal e green at first g radua lly turn-
ing to dull grey, showing fine deep-
seated spiral lines which were the 
hairs of the developing la rva ; a small 
black dot on the upper surface indi-
cated the position of its head. Hatch-
ed August 9. 
Larva. 1st Instar. Length 3 mm. 
H ead smooth, shiny, pale brown. Body 
pale glaucous green, covered with 
long brown hairs. They ate about half 
of each shell. Fed on Douglas fir. 
2nd Instar. Aug ust 19. Length 7 
mm. Head more red-brown than be-
fore, cove red with short, sparse hairs. 
Body r ed-brown between the tufts of 
reddish hairs. They ate direc tly into 
th e substance of the needle from any 
point along its length . When not 
feeding, the ca terpilla rs rested among 
th e bud -sca les at the tip of the shoo t, 
or at full length a long a needle. On 
A ug ust 23 a milky-white suffu sed line 
al ong the spiracl es became evident 
w ith g rowth; the body ve ry shin y be-
t,\'ee ll th e tufts of hair, a sig n uf an 
approaching moult. 
3rd Instar. August 31. Le ngth 15 
111111. Head as befu re. A pair o f white 
tuft s replaced th e reel ones (In the 
do rsum of each segl11 ent. a pair of 
lon g. forward-pointing white hair -
pen cil s on T. l, and a si mil ar pa ir (li-
rected ba ck wa rd s o n each of A.S. and 
A.9.; spiracular lin e irregular. white, 
edged with black abuve : spiracles 
g rey, rin ged with bla ck, cla sper s and 
und ersid e nesh- co loured . A da rk 
cl o r sa l lin e wa s evide nt by Septel11ber 
7, when the length was 20 ml11 . 
4th Instar. September 10. Leng th 
20 to 25 mm, Head shiny, black with 
labrum white. Body ve lve t black 
abuve w ith a narrow white g irdl e at 
th e jun cture o f th e segl11ent s, most ly 
concea led bv the tuft s of short dense 
hairs that 'spread out to m ee t one 
another frOI11 th eir indi yiclual t uber-
cles: each tuft consisted of hairs of 
ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, PROe. (1958), VOL. 55, DEe. 22, 1958 29 
two or three colours, arranged in lay-
ers white at the base, then black, and 
where there were three colours, yel-
low above and central; along the 
dorsum were nine pairs of tufts, one 
pair per segment with a similar, smal-
ler, yellow centred pair below the 
spiracular line. The rest were black 
and white; T.1. had a pair of forward 
pointing white pencils of long hairs, 
and segments A.8. and A.9. had each a 
similar pair directed backwards. The 
admixture uf the predominating white 
and black gave an overall ash colour 
tu the caterpillar, the yellow points 
breaking up the otherwise solid ap-
pearance. Underside light fuscous, legs 
banded with black and white, zebra 
fashion, claspers pale dusky. By 
September 19 they were 30 mm. long. 
On September 27 the first caterpillar 
"vas observed spinning a cocoon 
among the twigs. Two larvae were 
still feeding on October 12 but all 
had spun up a day or two later. The 
cocoon is regularly oval, smooth and 
of a close, even texture, grey due to 
the admixture of the larval hairs. 
Pupa. Size 15 by 6 mm. Dumpy 
in appearance, smooth, shiny with no 
t r ace of punctuation, mahogany 
brown. Cremaster, a group of ex-
ceedingly fine, short, slightly recurved-
tipped hairs on the rounded tip of the 
last segment. 
Pseudoglaea olivata Harv. 
This large Phylaenid moth has a 
wing expanse of 40 mm. The fore-
wings are either olive grey or have 
a reddish cast, the latter predominat-
ing, with darker orbicular and reni-
form spots outlined with lighter colour 
and a similar light line across the 
outer third. A female , taken on sugar 
in Saanich, September 1956, laid 30 
ova between September 4 and 18, scat-
tered over the sides of the box. 
Ovum. Size .90 by .50 mm. Hemis-
pherical, finely ribbed (about 30) and 
cross-ribbed, cream coloured turning 
pink a day later, finally becoming dark 
brown with an iridescent lustre by 
late September, rem a i n in g thus 
throughout the winter. 
March 12, 1957. 
Hatched 
Larva. 1st Instar. Larvae emerg-
ed through holes in the side of the 
eggs, but did not eat the shells. 
Length 3.5 mm. lIead large, pale 
brown. Body semi-translucent, drab, 
dusky colour with a tinge of purple; 
tubercles prominent, neshy, each bear-
ing a short black hair. After trying 
various plants they fed lightly on Spi. 
raea discolor and Rubus macropetailis. By 
March 17 many had died, apparently 
of starvation. On March 29 Rubus 
lellcodermis was tried. This was ac-
cepted ~with avidity and the larvae 
henceforth thrived. 
2nd Instar. March 18. Length 4 
to 5 mm. Head light brown. Body 
dull olive, a faint light dorsal, a broad 
white spiracular, tubercles black each 
bearing a short black hair, spiracles 
black; underside honey-colour, cerv-
ical plate brown with four white bars. 
3rd Instar. March 22. Length 6 
mm. Growth very slow, possibly be-
cause of the wrong food at first. Head 
light brown. Body fuscous grey with 
a faint bluish tinge, a distinct white 
dorsal and thinner subdorsals, spira-
cular broad, white, edged dorsally 
with black, otherwise as before; rest-
ed at full length along a stem. March 
27. Length 9 to 10 mm. Head square, 
sutures black, a row of small black 
dots on each side. Body grey-green, 
dorsal, subdorsals and addorsals white, 
the last two thinner than the dorsal. 
Spiracular as before; underside dull 
greenish fuscous, legs and claspers 
dark. Fed on Rubus macl'opetallls. 
4th Instar. March 29. Length 15 
mm. Head shiny, pale, translucent 
green with light brown clouding on 
the sides. Body fuscous green, other-
,,-ise as before. Fed heavilv on Rubus 
! etlcod ermis. • 
5th Instar. AprilS. Length 20 mm. 
Head and body as before; general 
colou r fuscous wi th a greenish tinge, 
spiracles grey ringed with black. Rest-
ed along a stem partly coiled be-
nea th a leaf. April 7. Length about 
30 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, PROC. (1958), VOL. 55, DEC. 22, 1958 
the same. I-l ead as before. Body 
tinged with pale yellow or o live, do r -
sal edged with black which is abruptly 
thicken ed on each segment, progres-
sively mo re so towa rd s A.9. U nde r side 
whitish thickly etched ancl flecked 
with black, t ube rcle s white w ith hlack 
centres, bearing a sin g le minute ha ir. 
6th Instar. April 11. Length 20 to 
25 mIll. H ead as hef() re. Ho(ly, T. l. 
shining brown with three white hars. 
general colour u li ve. heav il y clusted 
with darke r o li ve, dorsal anel sub -
dorsa ls bla ck-edged , th e bla ck eclges 
of the do r sal coa lesc ing at jun cture 
of segm en ts to form a black spot . 
A pril 14. ] leacl pa le brown, s troIlti'ly 
ret icul a ted with fuscous. Body u live, 
heav ily i-l ecked with fuscous, a thin 
pale do rsa l with black bl otche s un 
A.I. tu 8: spiracular broad, white, 
sprinkl ed with greenish fu scou s, spir -
acles white, black - ringeel, unders ide 
beige, den sely Reeked with fu sco us . 
T,1. pale brow n with two white ba r s. 
They were full fed by A pril 19. 
L ength 40 mm. Dorsal lin e had va n -
ished, the dark bl otches alone remain -
1I1 g , The lar vae w e re ve ry geot ropic, 
evidently seeking a place for trans-
formation. Two o f the seven reared 
to maturity burrowed into the so il for 
pupation. By M ay 1 al\ had spun 
sto ut ea rth en cocoons ready for pupa-
tion. 
Pupa. Size 15 by 6 mm. Sm ooth , 
shiny , enti rely w ithuut punctuation; 
cr emaste r, fo ur st ra ig ht spin es arrang-
ed in a trans ve rse ruw, with one o r 
t \1'0 snull e r ones at t he base, set on 
th e smoot h ruund ed tip of the la s t ~;eg ­
ment. 
Imago. Four adult s e l11 e rged about 
Jul y 28, 1957, the I'emai nde r having 
died in the pupa, T he early appear-
an ce was probably due tu the art i-
ficial conditions und e r which they 
we re re a red. The no rm a l period of 
flight is in A ugu s t and September. 
Th e 27 specim en s in my collection 
(January, 1958) consist of two colour 
fo rm s, o li ve and red, in the proportion, 
approx imately of 16 per ce nt olive t o 
84 per cent r ed , th e red predominat-
ing in th e sexes at about 5 to 1 in the 
males and 9 to 1 in the female s. 
A LIST OF CONE AND SEED INSECTS OF INTERIOR 
BRITISH COLUMBIAI 
D. A, R OSS2 
The cone and see d in sec t s li sted by 
host in this art icl e we re reared from 
mate rial c() ll ected in the int e ri o r of 
nriti sh Columbi a during th e period 
1. Contribution No. 471, F ores t Hioiogr \li \'j:-; iotl , 
Science Sen'ice, Department of Agricllit ll re, Utta\\'a, 
Canada. 
~. Fo res t Hi n\ogy Laboratory , Ve rnoll, H.C. 
Host Insect 
1950 to 195,l inclu siv e. :\lost of the 
cune collections were taken hy Forest 
l\i()l ogy ran ge rs. and the in sects were 
r ea red hy va ri ou s members of the 
Forest In sect Survey at Ve rn on. 
Only specim en s id ent ifi ed at least to 
genm are li sted h e re. 
Locality 
' 'vVc,tcrn \I 'ilite plnc, 
Pill liS lIlol/tic-ola 
D;OIyctr;a ab;etel/a D, &: S, 
COIlUP!Jt!Jorw 1Il017t;w/rle H o pk. 
EIICOJJIICI boballCi r-.: r t. 
Trinity Va lley, Ka , lo, S loca n 
City, Sal1llo, C r:l Y C reck, C r es -
ton , nalfol1r. 


Notes on the life histories of three species of Lepidoptera from southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Ross, D. A.

30 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, PROC. (1958), VOL. 55, DEC. 22, 1958 
the same. I-l ead as before. Body 
tinged with pale yellow or o live, do r -
sal edged with black which is abruptly 
thicken ed on each segment, progres-
sively mo re so towa rd s A.9. U nde r side 
whitish thickly etched ancl flecked 
with black, t ube rcle s white w ith hlack 
centres, bearing a sin g le minute ha ir. 
6th Instar. April 11. Length 20 to 
25 mIll. H ead as hef() re. Ho(ly, T. l. 
shining brown with three white hars. 
general colour u li ve. heav il y clusted 
with darke r o li ve, dorsal anel sub -
dorsa ls bla ck-edged , th e bla ck eclges 
of the do r sal coa lesc ing at jun cture 
of segm en ts to form a black spot . 
A pril 14. ] leacl pa le brown, s troIlti'ly 
ret icul a ted with fuscous. Body u live, 
heav ily i-l ecked with fuscous, a thin 
pale do rsa l with black bl otche s un 
A.I. tu 8: spiracular broad, white, 
sprinkl ed with greenish fu scou s, spir -
acles white, black - ringeel, unders ide 
beige, den sely Reeked with fu sco us . 
T,1. pale brow n with two white ba r s. 
They were full fed by A pril 19. 
L ength 40 mm. Dorsal lin e had va n -
ished, the dark bl otches alone remain -
1I1 g , The lar vae w e re ve ry geot ropic, 
evidently seeking a place for trans-
formation. Two o f the seven reared 
to maturity burrowed into the so il for 
pupation. By M ay 1 al\ had spun 
sto ut ea rth en cocoons ready for pupa-
tion. 
Pupa. Size 15 by 6 mm. Sm ooth , 
shiny , enti rely w ithuut punctuation; 
cr emaste r, fo ur st ra ig ht spin es arrang-
ed in a trans ve rse ruw, with one o r 
t \1'0 snull e r ones at t he base, set on 
th e smoot h ruund ed tip of the la s t ~;eg ­
ment. 
Imago. Four adult s e l11 e rged about 
Jul y 28, 1957, the I'emai nde r having 
died in the pupa, T he early appear-
an ce was probably due tu the art i-
ficial conditions und e r which they 
we re re a red. The no rm a l period of 
flight is in A ugu s t and September. 
Th e 27 specim en s in my collection 
(January, 1958) consist of two colour 
fo rm s, o li ve and red, in the proportion, 
approx imately of 16 per ce nt olive t o 
84 per cent r ed , th e red predominat-
ing in th e sexes at about 5 to 1 in the 
males and 9 to 1 in the female s. 
A LIST OF CONE AND SEED INSECTS OF INTERIOR 
BRITISH COLUMBIAI 
D. A, R OSS2 
The cone and see d in sec t s li sted by 
host in this art icl e we re reared from 
mate rial c() ll ected in the int e ri o r of 
nriti sh Columbi a during th e period 
1. Contribution No. 471, F ores t Hioiogr \li \'j:-; iotl , 
Science Sen'ice, Department of Agricllit ll re, Utta\\'a, 
Canada. 
~. Fo res t Hi n\ogy Laboratory , Ve rnoll, H.C. 
Host Insect 
1950 to 195,l inclu siv e. :\lost of the 
cune collections were taken hy Forest 
l\i()l ogy ran ge rs. and the in sects were 
r ea red hy va ri ou s members of the 
Forest In sect Survey at Ve rn on. 
Only specim en s id ent ifi ed at least to 
genm are li sted h e re. 
Locality 
' 'vVc,tcrn \I 'ilite plnc, 
Pill liS lIlol/tic-ola 
D;OIyctr;a ab;etel/a D, &: S, 
COIlUP!Jt!Jorw 1Il017t;w/rle H o pk. 
EIICOJJIICI boballCi r-.: r t. 
Trinity Va lley, Ka , lo, S loca n 
City, Sal1llo, C r:l Y C reck, C r es -
ton , nalfol1r. 
E N TOMO LO GICA L SOClliTY OF BRITISH COLU MBIA, PR OC. ( 1958 ), VOL. 55 , DEC. 22 , 1958 31 
Host 
l'o ll uc ros a pill e, 
Pin/l J ponderosa 
Lodge po le pin e, 
PillllS COll/orla 
\ Vest e rll la rc h, 
Larix oeridell /alis 
Black s pr uce, 
Picetl IIhlr,:tllltt 
E n.':;clma nn and \ \'h :tc 
spr uce, 
Piced engellllCill/li a nd 
P. gl(lIIca 
\N cs t crn h cnJi ock, 
T.rllga hele1'ophylla 
Do ug las fir , 
P.relido/JJlgtl menziesii 
:\ Ipinc fi r. 
A bieJ IrI ..- i oCd ! /hl 
Insect 
*OioryClricl (w rclil/icellci (G ro te) 
D. sp. n r. rlllrrlillicellrl 
D. avie/ella D. & S. 
D. crllll biicol" (Dyar) 
*Lc1speyreJia lIIixci/ti/a He in. 
L. piper(/Ii tl (K ea rf .) 
Couict/rid sp. 
DiorYCl ria "vie/elltl D . & S. 
EIlCOS1I7t1 s p. p ra ll . boval1.1 1\: it. 
PoiyciJro.riJ /Jicetlila Free. 
/-I emicIIJ jll.rcodor.rtlllci I-':[ t. 
C"uoe/ere (illltll .-\u iJ e 
T o!IIi.\· a/ ber/a fIT c I ), 
Emu/Jill"- lIi!!," (IIlJ l :all. 
Cmoc/ere (il lllll --\ ubc 
*Lnpeyres i,[ )()/lIlgall(/ K ft. 
" Diol ),c/ria avie/ell" D. & S. 
Ellpi/iJecia albicapi/a/d P ack. 
PolychrOJi..- /,icealh/ F ree . 
Eal'O lII yia sp. 
Clr/oe/ere (illllll Au llc 
Eam1l7yia s p. 
*Dioryctria (I hie/ella I) . & S. 
D. rel/icllielia G rt. 
(complex) 
*BdrhCl}"(1 coljaxitlJJCI h~ ft. 
PuiyciJro.ri.r /Jicetilltl Free. 
" olcoar,/ illll!1{/clllel/" ). [cD. 
fi el1 riclI J jllJcoc/orStJl/tI k ft. 
Cor/ica" it! ~p. 
,Heg./JligIJIIIJ spermo/roplJIIs 
\ \ 'ac it t l 
/:''''oll1),itl s p. 
Sci[{/'(/ "pclJlci., e/a ve il 
(prohahly ,econdary) 
Dior ),Clri.1 "/;ie/ell,, I). & S. 
L{/f peyreJi" S p. 
M e,~,JJ/i.~IJIII .r I'liio([{/' ptle e ros. 
EJ:,()lIl)itl sp. 
Locality 
Sout liern I n te ri o r . 
~out hel'll In te ri o r, less comrtlon 
than D . tlllrall/ialla. 
~out he rn I n te ri o r . 
T his tw ig fee der may occu r 
occa s io n"i'lv III cone s In th e 
O k ;ll la gan · \·all ey. 
~on t her ll I nter io r. 
C ra nd For k s. 
1'elloll' I_ake, G ra no F o rk s, 
Cresto tl. 
T ag- ish. '1'. '1'.; Be n nett. 
Fo rt f- rasn. 
~y ri nga C reek . 
~:t n c; l C ree k . 
.\ narcll is t 'd onn t:t in . 
Ce ntra l lnl e ri o r, B.c. 
(;c rman se n La ndi ng, \ -al c lllo llllt. 
\ . a nd e rlwo f. 
h:lu ;ln e Lik e a nd \\-hite it o rse, 
Y T · Int e ri o r D.C. 
II; te ;io r B.C. 
.\lc za Lak e ; .\ [ cN a ug h to ll LIke; 
\V()oclp cc ke r, \ 'Vit i te- ho rse, '1" .1'. 
lafTrav. 
~\ Ieza' Lake . 
Cha m pag ne, 1' .'1' . Fort ~e l ;;on . 
. \aro n H ill. 
~olllhl'1' n Int e ri o r. 
Thi s fo li age feeder may occ ur In 
con cs occas iona ll v in an y pa rt of 
t he Int e ri or. -
Sou titern In te r io r. 
Yel loll' La ke. 
Ycl lol\' Lake, Pax- ili on. 
Crest Oll. 
Yellol\' Lake. G ran d Forks. 
S a itn o n \'al le\', Li llooe t, \ \ ' cst-
s ide . 
In onoa k lin . 
H ed ley. 
H ixo n, .F ranco is Lake. 
~h e l lC\· . 
l\a tal ,- H ixon . Vande rh ooi. 
Prince CcorgC'. 
~ Tit ese spec ics a re cons ide red to b e oi cOll side r:lbl e econom tc im po rta nce III tlt e 
int er io r oi B ri tish Coill mbia . 


A list of cone and seed insects of interior British Columbia

Grant, J.

Melandrya striata Say at Vernon, B.C. (Coleoptera: Melandryidae)

Lejeune, R. R.

I h l~t<TmlOLO(;lr· A 1. SOCI ET Y o f B I<lTl RII. COL I.i MBIA. PRoW. I U159). VOL. 5 6 . NOL 4, U15!1 
SPRAYING OPERATION FOR CONTROL OF THE BLACK-HEADED 
BUDWORM', VANCOUVER ISLAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA, 1957 
R. R . LEJEUNE 
Forest Biology Laboratory, Victoria, B.C. 
During June, 1957, 196,000 acres of 
western hemlock on northern Van-
couver Island, British Columbia, were 
sprayed to protect stands severely de-
foliated for two consecutive years by 
the black-headed budworm. These 
stands, out of a total outbreak area 
of about two million acres, were con-
sidered to be in critical condition. 
Surveys indicated that they could ex-
pect to receive damaging defoliation 
in 1957. Although it was dwarfed by 
the extensive control programs in the 
western United States and eastern 
Canada there are some special fea-
tures about the project that are worth 
relating. 
Organization 
As this was the first large control 
operation attempted in British Col-
umbia, an organization was needed to 
plan and direct the proj ect and to 
provide a legal body for entering into 
commitments with governmental and 
private agencies. As a result the Brit-
'ish Columbia Loggers' Association 
formed a permanent Pest Control 
Committee for this purpose. Repre-
sentatives from the British Columbia 
Forest Service and the Forest Biology 
Laboratory serve on the Committee in 
an advisory capacity, but since this 
Association is composed of most of 
the logging companies in British Col-
umbia, it can be considered that the 
project was directed by industry. The 
Forest Biology Laboratory was re-
sponsible for spray and biological as-
sessment. 
The Committee drew heavily on the 
experience acquired by other agencies 
in large-scale operations in the west-
ern United states and eastern Can-
ada, but local conditions necessitated 
modification of some procedures fol-
lowed elsewhere. We now have an 01'-
I Contribution No. 528, Forest Biology Division, 
Science Service, Department of Agriculture, Ot· 
tawa, Canada . 
ganization and a soundly established 
pattern tailored to British Columbia 
conditions for handling future forest 
insect control problems. 
Spray Equipment and Chemicals 
The spraying was done by four con-
verted TBM Gruman Avengers. This 
was the first time these aircraft have 
been used for spraying forests in Can-
ada . They were selected because the 
rugged terrain, the radius of action, 
and the uncertain weather conditions 
likely to prevail indicated that a larg-
er aircraft than the conventional 
Stearman was needed. In our opinion 
their performance with respect to pay 
load and spray pattern was impres-
sive. As a result, several of these air-
craft have been purchased by a Cana-
dian firm and have been used against 
the spruce budworm in eastern Can-
ada. 
Since it was possible that the infes-
tation could collapse at any time from 
natural causes, resulting in the can-
cellation of the operation, raw mate-
rials were stored and mixed as need-
ed. Mixing and loading were done at 
the air base, where a mixing plant 
was constructed. The plant had a 
daily manufacturing capacity of 
about 30,000 gallons of spray and a 
storage capaCity of about 35,000 gal-
lons. Spray was loaded into the air-
craft directly from the mixing plant. 
The spray consisted of DDT in Stan-
dard base oil diluted with diesel oil to 
yield a solution containing 1 pound of 
DDT per U.S. gallon with an emulsifier 
content of 1.64 per cent. The emulsi-
fier was Atlox 2082A. The use of an 
emulsifier in 1956 (Brown et al., 1958) 
gave such satisfactory results that it 
was incorporated into the operational 
formulation in 1957. 
Efforts were made to compare the 
effectiveness of the operational spray 
with three other formulations. How-
ever, in a pres::;ing mixing and flyin g 
schedule it proved unpractical to ex-
ercise the precise control essential for 
experimental tests. Results indicated 
that as low as one-half pound of DDT 
per gallon per acre was as effective as 
the operational solution. Results with 
diesel oil without emulsifier were in-
conclusive and plans to experiment 
with water instead of an oil diluent 
were cancelled altogether. 
Timing 
Black-headed budworm larvae de-
velop more slowly than spruce bud-
worm larvae and therefore provide a 
longer period for effective spraying. 
In 1956 it was found that all the lar-
val stages were susceptible to the 
spray. Spraying can be started when 
roughly 50 per cent of the larvae are 
in the second instar and , for maxi-
mum effect , should be completed be-
fore the appearance of fifth-instar 
larvae . In 1956 and 1957 this allowed 
a period of about one month for treat-
ment. Spraying in 1957 commenced 
on June 10, and despite delays caused 
by poor weather, was completed on 
June 20. 
Control Achieved 
The operation achieved its principal 
objective (Lejeune et al. , 1957) . Bio-
logical assessment plots showed that 
the budworm was completely control-
led where the spray deposit was ade-
quate (over 10 drops per cm. 2 or .20 
gal. per acre). Data obtained indi-
cated that the spray deposit in gen-
eral ranged from light to medium (1 
to 20 drops per cm. 2). Deposits were 
lighter in areas skip-sprayed to avoid 
lakes, streams, cut-over areas and 
cedar swamps, and heavier where 
avoidance of specific landmarks was 
not required. The indicated average 
control of about 90 per cent, based on 
data from five sample plots, was suffi-
cient to prevent serious defoliation 
in 1957. 
Fish Mortality 
When it was decid ed in the fall of 
1956 to proceed with a spraying oper-
ation in 1957, it was antiCipated that 
some commercial and game fish might 
be killed . Accordingly the decision 
was made known to the Federal and 
Provincial fisheries authorities, who 
were invited to have representatives 
at all subsequent meetings of the 
Committee. 
In co-operation with the Commit-
tee, plans were drawn up by the fish-
eries organizations to assess mortality 
of fish and fish food organisms. The 
main concern was for the fry of cohoe 
salmon and steelhead trout, which 
would be in the streams during the 
spray period. To minimize contamin-
ation of waters, pilots were instructed 
to shut off the spray when flying over 
rivers and lakes, streams were not to 
be used as boundaries of spray blocks 
and, where feasible , pilots were to 
spray parallel to the course of major 
streams keeping one swath width 
away. Fisheries representatives, who 
were present on a ll flights made by 
the observation aircraft, were satis-
fied that a sincere effort was made to 
implement these measures, but spray 
drift hit some lakes and streams and 
fish were killed. 
The effects of spraying were meas-
ured in nine of the ten maj or salmon 
streams in the area (Crouter and Ver-
non, 1959) . Results obtained indicated 
a large variation in the mortality of 
cohoe fry , ranging from zero to al-
most complete annihilation. Losses 
were severe in four of the major 
streams, not only to cohoe but also to 
trout, steelhead yearlings, and pos-
sibly alevins of trout and steelhead. 
The reduction of aquatic insects 
paralleled the loss of cohoe fry and 
the productivity of several streams 
may not return to adequate propor-
tions for several years. 
The effects of spraying varied with 
each stream but some trends were 
noted. Fish mortality was high in 
large streams in flat terrain with 
dense forest cover, which made the 
streams difficult to see from low flying 
aircraft, and in large streams flowing 
through steep-walled valleys. Mortal-
ity was low in streams in well-defined 
but not particularly steep-walled val-
leys and in small streams with a dense 
overhanging canopy. 
18 8JsTO~I O I.OUlC\ L SOCrF;TY OF' B HITl "Il CO LI' ~\fIH . \ . 1'1<0(,. (1 ~j 5 ~). VOl. . 56. Nov. 4, 195!J 
In June, 1957, 156,000 acres of west-
ern hemlock were sprayed to control 
the black-headed budworm. The op-
erational spray consisted of DDT in 
Standard base oil diluted with diese l 
oil to yield a solution containing 1 
pound of DDT per gallon with an 
emulsifier of 1.64 per cent. Spray was 
applied at the rate of 1 gallon p er 
acre. The indicated average control 
of about 90 per cent was sufficient to 
prevent serious defoliation in 1957. 
Fish populations, particularly cohoe 
fry, and fish food organisms in some 
stream s were severely depleted . 
Summary 
Although there were a number of 
puzzling inconsistencies in results ob-
tained from the assessment of fish 
mort a lity, it is clear tha t under the 
conditions of the operation, fish and 
fIsh food populations in some str eams 
were severely depleted . 
References Cited 
Brown, G. S., A. P. Randall, R. R. Lejeune and G. T. Silver. 1958. Black-headed bud-
worm spraying experiments on Vancouver Island , British Columbia. For. Chron. 
34: 299-306. 
Crouter, R. A. and E. H. Vernon. 1959. The effects of black-headed budworm control 
on salmon and trout in British Columbia. Canadian Fish Culturist 24 : 23-40. 
Lejeune, R. R., A. P. Randall and K. R. Elliott. 1957. Aer ial spraying operations for 
control of the black-headed bud worm, Vancouver Island , British Columbia, 1957. 
Interim Report 195'7-1. Forest Biology Laboratory, Victoria, B.C. (Multigraphed). 
THE DISTRIBUITION OF THE WHEAT MIDGE, SITODIPLOSIS 
MOSEL,LANA (Gehin), IN BRITISH COLUMBIA 
J. C . ARRANfJ 
A/Provincial Entomologisl 
The wheat midge, Sitodiplosi s mos-
ellana (Gehin), was first reported in 
the Pacific Northwest in 1904 at Chil-
liwack, B.C. Since that time it ap-
pears to have spread through the 
province. It was lis t ed as a n import-
ant pest of grain in the lower Fraser 
Valley in 1905. In 1921 serious d a mage 
was reported in the Salmon Arm dis-
trict. A wheat field was damaged by 
this pest near Lumby in 1936 when 
there was also serious damage on 
Vancouver Island and in coastal dis-
tricts. Light damage was recorded at 
Merritt in 1951 and at Nelson in 1953. 
In 1954 infestations were reported 
from Larkin, Armstrong and Enderby. 
Damage occurred on spring wheat at 
Revelstoke, Grindrod , Enderby and 
Salmon Arm in 1955 . 
In 1957 a h eavy infestation was 
examin ed in a fIeld of Garnet wheat 
at K ersely, south of Quesnel. Accord-
ing to the farmer this field h a d been 
similarly infested in 1956 . In 1958 
severa l fie lds were infested in the 
K er sely a r ea and serious d a mage oc-
curred. This infestation appears to 
be so severe that unless it subsides it 
is questionable whether the farmers 
in the a rea can continue profitably to 
grow gr a in . The farmers report that 
fall whea t and ba rley as well as spring 
wheat have been attacked. In the 
literat ure , these grains as well as oats 
are list ed as hosts of the pest. 
Since the wheat midge h as become 
so well established at Kersely, it seems 
reasonable to assume that it may 
eventua lly move into the Peace River 
a r ea. 
References 
Reeher M. M. 1945. The Wheat Midge in the Pacific Northwest. U.S.D.A. Circ . 732. 
B.C. Dep't. of Agriculture Annual Report-1921, 1936, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958. 


Spraying operation for control of the black-headed budworm, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, 1957

Some problems in the compilation of a compatibility chart of orchard spray chemicals for use in British Columbia

Corner, J.

8 P IWC. E" TO:\ IOI.. SO(' . B HIT. COU; :\IP. I,\ . VU I.. 57 (1 960 ). D EC. 1, 1 960 
Sub fami ly PLUSIINAE 
Chrysaspidia 
:~273 pu t nami GI' t. 
1. Kam loops . 
2. August. 
S ubfamily CATOCALINAF. 
3;~4fl uniju ga W I!\: . lw :illa Wor th . 
]. Kam loops . 
2. September. 
3:152 faustina Stkr. 
1. K amloops. 
2. Sep tember , October. 
Famil y GEOMET RIDAE 
Sub fami ly GEOMETRIN AE 
Cheteoscelis Pr ou t. 
4079 bistr ia l'i a P ac k. lIcl inaTia Stkr . 
1. Sum merl and. 
2. Jun e. 
Subfamil y ENNOMINAE 
Pero H.-S. 
5072 honestal' iu s Wlk. stygi.a1"'i tt s Wlk. clyaTi 
C. & S . 
1 Kam l oo ]l ~. 
2. May. 
ACKNOWLEDGMENT 
The author is indebted to Dr. D. F. Hard-
wick, Entomology Research Institute, Can-
ada Depar tment of Agriculture, Ottawa, for 
identification of specimens and encourage-
ment in publishing the appended list. 
References 
Llewellyn-J ones, J . . R. J. 1951. An anno tated check list of the macrolepidoptera of 
Bntlsh Columbia. Ent. Soc. B .C. Occas. Paper No. !. 
McDunnough, J . 1938. Check List of the Lepidoptera of Canada and the United States. 
Part I. , Macrolepidoptera. Me moirs of the Southern California Academy of Sciences, 
Vol. I. 
AN INCIDENT OF DESTRUCTION OF HONEYBEE COLONIES IN THE 
INTERIOR OF B.C. BY AN ANT, PROBABLY FORMICA INTEGRA 
NYLANDER 
In a letter received on J un e 3, 1959, 
from Mr. J . C. Keswick of Osoyoos, 
B.C., h e a dvises tha t a few of his 
honeybee colonies were moved from 
Osoyoos up into th e Anarchist Moun-
tain a rea as a safeguard against des-
truction by Sevin. Four days a fter 
moving, Mr. Keswick ch ecked his 
colonies a t which t ime a great deal of 
ant activity was noticed . Upon check-
ing the first colony in line it was 
found to be empty; th e only trace of 
bees being a little capped brood and 
about a quarter of an inch of wings 
on the bottom board of the hive. The 
second hive exa mined was found to 
be in the same condit ion and the third 
one was just being invaded. 
According to Mr. Keswick it was an 
amazing thing to observe th e ants 
attacking honeybees. Generally a t 
least three ants would a ttack a bee, 
snip her in two a t the join of the 
abdomen and thorax, snip off the 
wings and h ead , and carry the dis-
sec ted bee to their nest. 
It would appear that as soon as the 
honeybee colony had been destroyed 
the ants then polished off any stores 
of honey, pollen or brood . The hive 
n ext in line had not been touched, 
neither were the remainder of the 
colonies. 
Mr. Keswick carefully checked the 
area and a t about forty feet from the 
colony a la rge nest of ants was dis-
covered . This was destroyed after 
dark and specimens of the ants were 
sent to the author who in turn had 
th em mailed to G. L. Ayre of Research 
Branch , Summerland, where they 
were identified a s probably being 
Formica integra Ny 1 and e r . This 
species is common in the Okanagan 
and because of its predacious habits 
is gen erally considered to be bene·· 
ficia l. It is very indiscriminate in its 
choice of food and will take anything 
h andy. 
. - ,I . ()O,/,U(''/". P l'o1!'incia l Apiarist, V e1'non, 
B.C. 


An incident of destruction of honeybee colonies in the interior of B.C. by an ant, probably Formica integer Nylander

PHOC. E NTml OL Soc . BlU T. COLU ~U1"l. VOl.. 57 (1960 ) . D I' C. 1 , 1960 27 
NOTES ON THE LIFE HISTORIES OF TWO BUTTERFLIES 
AND ONE MOTH FROM VANCOUVER ISLAND 
GEORGE A. HARDY' 
Colias occidentalis Scud. 
A specimen taken at Royal Oak on 
June 4, 1958, laid about 50 ova by 
June 12. They were placed on the 
upper side of the leaves of Lathyrus 
nuttallii Wats. over which the butter-
ft.y was confined . 
Ovum 
Size 1.5 mm. by 0.5 mm., fusiform, 
truncate at the base at the pOint of 
attachment, shiny, with about 14 ribs, 
whitish at first, becoming rosy-red 
with an ivory-white tip. Hatched 
June 11. 
Larva-1st Instar 
Length 2 mm. Head black, dull with 
short, sparse, white-knobbed hairs. 
Body fuscous green, covered with 
glandular-tipped hairs, A.8 and A.9 
bearing a few long, backwardly di-
rected, white hairs. The chorion was 
partly, or entirely, consumed by the 
larva. 
2nd Instar 
June 17. Length 5 mm. Head grey-
green, body green matching the 
leaves. Both head, and body, with a 
hoary look due to a covering of close-
set, glandular-tipped hairs, each 
arising from a small, black tubercle . 
3rd Instar 
June 23. Length 7 mm. Appearance 
similar to second ins tar larva. From 
this date until April, 1959, the cater-
pillars remained quiescent in the fold 
of a shrivelled leaf. 
4th Instar 
April 18, 1959. Length 10 mm. The 
larva showed signs of life on April 3. 
Head pale green , thickly dotted with 
short, black, non-glandular hairs 
arising from black bases. Body dark, 
v:elvety green, closely dotted with 
white, black-centred spots, each bear-
ing a short, white, non-glandular 
seta. Segments with six transverse 
wrinkles. 
--, -Prov inc ial MlIs<'llln , Victor ia , B.C. (IUd. ) 
5th Instar 
April 25 . Length 18 mm. Appearance 
as before, but with white hairs thick-
ly distributed on the sides of the body 
but not on the dorsum. Spiracular line 
thin but conspicuously white, the 
white ring round the black dots re-
placed with green. 
April 29 . Length 25 mm. Appearance 
as before, with a faint pink suffusion 
along the spiracular line, underside 
glaucous - green minutely black-
dotted. 
When disturbed the larvae raised 
the thoracic segments in a sphinx-
like attitude. Just before pupation 
they were 30 mm. long. Pupated May 
4. Thirty-six hours elapsed between 
the first attachment by the last seg-
ment to a silken mat, and pupation 
with the head up and a girdle round 
the thorax. 
Pupa 
Size 23 mm. by 6 mm. The head was 
produced into a projecting beak, and 
there was a decided hump on the 
dorsum of thorax. Smooth, emerald 
green at first, becoming darker and 
assuming a yellowish colour towards 
maturity. The beak was dark green 
a bove and yellow below. The wing-
cases showed faint dark lines of the 
venation beneath. The three abdom-
ina l segments beyond the tip of the 
wing-cases each had two small black 
dots. Spiracular line distinctly yel-
lowish . 
Imago 
Emerged May 21 , 1959, after 17 
days ' pupation. 
The continuation of aestivation 
without a break into hibernation, 
both covering nearly ten months, is 
noteworthy. It would be of interest to 
know if this is the rule throughout 
the insect's wide range. 
28 P noc . ENT O:'IOL. Soc. Bnrr. COLUMllIA. VOL . 57 ( 1960), DEC. 1, 1960 
Coenonympha inornata insulana 
MeD. 
This butterfly has a long period of 
flight on Vancouver Island, from May 
to October, with a marked gap in July, 
suggesting the occurrence of two 
broods per season. With the idea of 
clearing up this point, the life history 
was investigated during 2 years. Ova 
were obtained from specimens taken 
at Royal Oak on May 26, 1958. 
Ovum 
Size 1 mm. by 0.9 mm. Barrel-
shaped, having a slight hollow in the 
upper end, with a distinct boss or 
umbo in the centre of the depression. 
Smooth, shiny, faintly ribbed and 
cross-ribbed, white, lightly flecked 
and streaked with brown to form an 
irregular band round the middle of 
the egg. 
Larva-l st Instar 
June 7. Length 2 mm. Head pale 
dull flesh coloured. Body tapering 
from head and of the same colour, 
with darker dorsal and subdorsals, 
and two fleshy anal processes directed 
backwards in line with the body. 
2nd Instar 
June 18. Length 4 mm. Appearance 
as before, with the addition of num-
erous smrull, white, mushroom-like 
protruberances covering both head 
and body, and seven dark green lines 
on dorsum, one dorsal and three on 
each side of it. 
3rd Instar 
June 25. Length 8 mm. Appearance 
as before. 
4th Instar 
July 3. Length 15 mm. Appearance 
as before. 
5th Instar 
July 12. Length 20 mm. Head grass-
green, thickly covered with white 
mushroom-like protruberances. Body 
grass-green, with the mushroom-like 
bodies giving a glaucous bloom. The 
dorsal line and the three lines on each 
side of it dark green, spiracular line 
yellow, highlighting the lateral fold, 
spiracles evident as very small black 
dots, anal processes tinged with pink. 
The larva was well camouflaged. 
As it rested along the edge of a blade 
of grass the tapering body merged 
into the blade and the large head 
simulated a tear or break in the edge. 
Various grasses are the food of this 
species. The succulence of the grass 
evidently affects the rate of meta-
morphosis. 
July 16. Length 22 mm. at maturity. 
The larva suspended itself by the cre-
master from a grass stem, and pup-
a ted on July 21. 
Pupa 
Size 10 mm. by 3 mm. Rather short 
and broad, smooth, grass-green, with 
a fuscous line on the costal and hind 
margins of the wing-cases, and two 
short fuscous lines on the underside 
of the last abdominal segment, con-
verging to form a V at the base of the 
cremaster. 
By August 1 the wing-cases had 
turned a light brownish colour, while 
the green of the rest of the body as-
sumed a dull , muddy look, an indica-
tion that the imago was about to 
emerge. It died before doing so . Some 
larvae of the same age group grew 
very slowly. One of these was only 
10 mm. long on October 9 and showed 
signs of hibernating for the winter. 
In 1959 three imagos of a second 
brood were obtained; two were from 
ova laid on June 13. They emerged 
on August 24. One was from an ovum 
laid on July 2. It emerged on Septem-
ber 15. In 1953 an ovum laid on Sep-
tember 4 h a tched on September 20 ; 
another laid on September 14 hatched 
on October 15. One of these larvae 
hibernated, and resumed feeding in 
April 1954. 
From the foregoing it would appear 
that insulana is at least partially two-
brooded. There is disparity in growth 
of the same age group, and the winter 
is passed by larvae of various ages and 
sizes. The largest of these give rise to 
the spring adults, the smaller ones to 
?Roc. E:'<1'OMOI .• Soc . BIlI'I". COLUMB I A, VOL. 57 (1960), DEC. 1. 1960 211 
the late summer contingent. The 
latter are augmented by individuals 
of the second brood. C. inornata in-
sulana would seem to be midway be-
tween the single-brooded C. kodiak of 
northern regions and C. cali/ornica 
in the south where two broods is the 
rule. 
Orthosia transparens Grt. 
A specimen taken a t Royal Oak, on 
April 22, 1959, laid about 215 ova, 
singly, or in irregular groups, on the 
sides of the container. 
Ovum 
Size .75mm. by .5 mm. A depressed 
sphere with about 40 vertical ribs 
whose sides have a bright sheen, vary-
ing in intenSity with the incidence of 
the light, a small light brown dot in 
the micropylar area, and a fine broken 
ring of the same colour on the shoUl-
der of the egg. Hatched on May 1. 
Larva-1st Instar 
Length 2.5 mm. Head light brown, 
sparsely but strongly dot ted with 
black. Body whitish, transparent, with 
prominent, black, seta-bearing tuber-
cles. The larva consumed part of the 
chorion, then fed on Arbutus men-
ziesii Pursh penetrating into the leaf-
bases of the expanding buds. 
2nd Instar 
May 8. Length 8 mm. Head semi-
translucent suffused with white, and 
dotted with black. Body olive or 
blUish-green, thin, milky-white dor-
sal and subdorsal lines, tubercles 
prominent, black-ringed with white 
bases, each bearing a stiff hair, spir-
acular line a vague whitish band, 
underside concolorous with the upper. 
lrd Instar 
May 12. Length 15 mm. Appearance 
as before . 
4th Instar 
May 16. Length 20 mm. Head near 
white, blending into a pinkish purple 
on the vertex, finely reticulated and 
spotted with brown. Body pinkish 
brown, thin white dorsal and sub-
dorsal lines, spiracular line light grey 
centred with an irregular, pale, rust-
coloured suffusion, underside a sor-
did flesh colour, the whole body finely 
spotted with black. 
5th Instar 
May 20 . Length 28 mm. Appearance 
similar to 4th instar larva. Body a 
general sienna brown matching the 
twigs of the arbutus, tubercles black, 
edged with white. The larvae fed at 
night, hiding by day among the debris 
at the bottom of the container. 
6th Instar 
May 27. Length 40 mm. Head pale 
sienna brown, dorsal and subdorsal 
lines indicated by very thin whitish 
lines, spiracular line inconspicuous, 
body finely speckled with white and 
fuscous dots. 
May 31. Length 45 mm. The larva 
by now full grown, general colour a 
drab fiesh, faintly tinged with red-
dish-purple, without noticeable mark-
ings except suffused dark dorsal and 
subdorsal lines. 
During the period between May 31 
and June 14 the larvae became rest-
less and moved continually feeding 
lightly now and then, but obviously 
ha ving an urge to travel before pupa-
tion. Some larvae had made pupal 
cells by June 6, in which they lay 
quiescent without pupating until a 
week later. 
Pupa 
Size 15 mm. by 5 mm. Smooth, 
shiny, the wing cases finely etched 
with minute, close-set lines. Abdom-
inal segments finely punctate on the 
anterior margins, light mahogany 
brown. Cremaster conSisting of two 
very thin, nearly straight spines with 
four short hairs with knobbed tips at 
the base, all set upon a shiny boss 
party sunk into the tip of the last 
segment. 
In 1958 the preferred food plant was 
unknown until too late; one or two 
larvae were reared to the 5th ins tar 
on Garry oak, which was evidently 
not relished . By the time arbutus was 
provided the survivors were too weak 
to complete their metamorphoses. 


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