Journal of the Entomological Society of British Columbia

Spencer, G. J.

PI<I)('. E .'\T",ror.. SOl" . DruT. COL\j~lIH .\. Vor .. 57 (1 96(J), D'T . 1. Hl60 43 
IV. Species recorded from most of 
Canada and found in most of the 
United States: 
H. laevigata S. grosslineata 
The remaining three species, D . 
hybrida, S. dolabra and C. expleta, 
are difficult to comment upon regard-
ing their distribution because of the 
lack of data. 
Acknowledgements 
1 wish to acknowledge the assistance of 
Prof. H. B. Hungerford of the University of 
Kansas for help in the determination of 
certain species of Cenocorixa and Sigara 
dolabra. I also wish to thank Dr. G. G. E. 
Scudder, of the Department of Zoology at 
the University of British Columbia, for 
allowing me to examine the University 
collections and for reading and criticising 
these notes. 
References 
Hungerford, H. B., 1948. The Corixidae of the Westl'rn Hemisphere, (Hemiptera). Univ. 
Kansas Sci. Bull. Vol. 32: 1·827. 
Lansbury, I., 1955. Distributional Records of North American Corixidae (Hemiptera -
Heteroptera). Can. Ent. LXXXVII: 474-481. 
Walley, G., 1936. New North American Corixidae with notes. Can . Ent. LXVII: 62. 
THE BLACK WIDOW SPIDER, LATRODECTES MACTANS FABR., 
IN VANCOUVER 
Spiders of many shapes and sizes 
are sent in to the Department of 
Zoology throughout the year by fear-
ful citizens with enquiries as to their 
propensi ty for killing human beings: I 
have always told them that no deadly 
poisonous spider occurs in Vancouver 
or in the wet coastal region. 
In the mid 1950s a dead specimen 
in very poor condition was sent in 
which resembled a Black Widow ex-
cept that the abdomen was conspicu-
ously marked with pale bands, very 
much like those of a typical male L. 
rnactans, in contrast to all those fe-
males I have seen in the dry belt, 
those from Davis, California and 
those from Victoria, whose abdomens 
were totally black. 
In December, 1959 when checking 
the low crawl space under a small 
house in east Vancouver for termite 
damage, I found 2 sprawling webs of 
coarse silk and 2 mature female 
spiders which were undoubtedly rnac-
tans, with pale linear markings on 
the dorsum of the abdomen: they 
ran into holes from which I failed to 
retrieve them. 
In January, 1960 I was assessing 
termitp damage in the basement of a 
large house on Granville Street south 
and found a female rnactans with 
pale markings in a typical coarse 
web, between the edge of a carpet and 
the wall , just under the edge of a 
Hollywood bed on which 3 small chil-
dren and a dog were accustomed to 
play; nearby was a male in its much 
smaller web; both were in a position 
where they could easily have been 
squashed by a child. Both were cap-
tured and brought to the laboratory ; 
the female soon ate the male and in 
time became coal black except for 
one small pale spot on the dorsum of 
the abdomen . 
Hitherto I have always given the 
distribution of the Black Widow in 
British Columbia as the dry belt of 
the Interior and the drier sections of 
Vancouver Island from Victoria to 
Nanaimo, and on the dry Gulf 
Islands; this distribution will have to 
be revised to include at least Vancou-
ver in the lower mainland. If it 
increases in Vancouver it will con-
stitute a definite hazard and the 
public will have to be alerted to watch 
out for it. 
- O . .T. Spen cer . Uni 'I'C r si t JI or Hritis h ('a lu m -
bi fl . Y an Cnll1' l'l' 


English

The black widow spider, Lactrodectes mactans Fabr., in Vancouver

Woods, T. A.D.

PROC. EI\TOMOL. Soc. BRIT. COLUMBIA, VOL. 57 (1960), DEC. 1, 1960 57 
100 gallons in dilute application; eight 
pounds of 50 per cent wettable powder 
per acre in air-blast application. 
Against the pear psylla, Psylla pyri-
cola Foerst, dimethoate gave better, 
and more lasting, control than mala-
thion . Against a strain of the Europ-
ean red mite, resistant to organo-
phosphates, it did not provide 
commercial control, although it per-
formed significantly better than 
malathion. In the persistence of its 
residual effects dimethoate was out-
standing in preventing reinfestation 
of apple by apple aphid, Aphis pomi 
DeG. Rere, under circumstances of 
severe reinfestation, commercial con-
trol by spray application was evident 
for four weeks; control was about 
twice as good as with Sevin, a rela-
tively persistent non-systemic insec-
ticide. Excellent control of aphids on 
young trees was obtained by painting 
small amounts of undiluted liquid 
concentrate, or by applying the con-
centrate in bandaids, to the lower 
parts of the trunks in May. In the 
former case effective control was ap-
parent for one to two months; in the 
latter for two to three months. Trunk 
applications gave rise to a limited 
amount of bark injury that, however, 
did not prove to be permanent. 
References 
1. American Cyanamid Company. 1959. Dimcthoate (E.I. 12880). Jamphlet. Stamford 
Research Laboratories, Stamford, Conn. U.S.A. 
2. Anonymous. 1958. Control of tree·fruit pests and diseases. British Columbia Dept. 
Agr. poster. 
3. Downing, R. S. 1954. Strains of the European red mite, Metatetranychus ulmi (Koch) 
resistant to parathion and malathion in British Columbia. Proc. Ent. Soc. 
British Columbia 51 : 10-11. 
4. Downing, R. S. Unpublished observations. 
5. Fisons Pest Control Limited. 1959. Rogor 40 Technical Information. Pamphlet. 
Cambridge, England. 
6. Fisons Pest Control Limited. 1960. Safety in the use of insecticides. Pamphlet. 
Cambridge, England. 
7. Henderson, C. F., and H. Y. McBurnie. 1943. Sampling technique for determining 
populations of citrus red mite and its predators. U.S. Dept. Agr. Circ. 671. 
8. Martin, H. 1958. Guide to the chemicals used in crop protection. Suppl. to 3rd ed. 
Canada Dept. Agr., Ottawa. 
9. Marshall, J. 1958. Concentrate spraying in deciduous orchards. Canada Dept. Agr. 
Pub. 1020. 
10. Marshall, J., and H. F . Olds. 1947. The pear psylla in British Columbia. Proc. Ent. 
Soc. British Columbia 43 (1946): 1-3. 
11. Pielou, D. P., and R. S. Downing. 1958. Trithion as an orchard insecticide. Proc. 
Ent. Soc. British Columbia. 55: 17-23. 
12. Pielou, D. P., and M. D. Proverbs. 1958. Diazinon: a summary of recent work on a 
new orchard insecticide. Proc. Ent. Soc. British Columbia 55: 3-6. 
13. Pielou, D. P., and K. Williams. The effectiveness of residues of insecticide in 
preventing rcinfestation of apple leaves by apple aphid, Aphis pomi DeG. I. 
Diazinon, Trithion and Sevin. In preparation. 
NOTE ON PREDATION BY CALOSOMA FRIGIDUM KBY. ON 
OPEROPHTERA BRUCEATA HLST. 
On June 2, 1959, eight miles west of 
Chetwynd (Little Prairie), B.C., a 
carabid, Calosoma trigidum Kby., was 
found preying upon the larvae of 
Bruce spanworm, Operophtera . bru-
ceata Rlst. Eighteen beetles were 
counted on the trunk and branches of 
ten trembling aspen trees. To gain its 
prey a carabid would start at the axis 
on the upper surface of a curled leaf, 
and using its mandibles, puncture the 
curled leaf tissue, driving the larva 
before it. When both beetle and larva 
reached the open end of the habitacu-
I urn the beetle would drop to the 
under side and seize the larva as it 
wriggled out. Neither rain nor wind 
seemed to deter the beetles' activity. 
- T. A . D. Woods, Forest B iology Labora-
tory, Vernon, B .C. 


Note on predation by Calosoa frigidum Kby. on Operophtera bruceata Hlst.

Zuk, Peter

~ 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' . 


Dock sawfly larvae boring holes in cedar siding

MacCarthy, H. R.

Book Review: The Forest and the Sea

PH' .... EST" .\I OI. . ;';, .... RH I T. C OLl ·.\IIII.\. \ ' 01. . 5!J (Uj6~). DI·:c. I. 1 ~j6 2 
INSECTICIDES FOR CONTROL OF BRASSICA PESTS 
IN BRITISH COLUMBIA' 
H. R. MACCARTHY 
I ntrod uction 
The purpose of this 4-year investi-
ga tion was to find a calendar recom-
mendation for control of cole crop 
pests, better suited to local conditions 
than the existing one. An earlier 
paper dealt with the first season's 
work in 1958, when the pests were ex-
ceptionally abundant (Forbes and 
MacCarthy, 1959) . During the next 3 
years the populations at Va ncouver 
were much lower , so that single treat-
m ents only were n ecessary , making it 
possible to study the rates of reinfest-
a tion. 
Most of the insecticides were or-
ganophosphates with systemic effect s. 
This paper reports the effectiveness 
of the materials, and the persis tence 
of the bes t of these against the 4 
common pes ts: the cabbage aphid, 
Brevicoryne brassicae (L.); the green 
peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulz.) ; 
the diamondback mot h , Plutella 
maculipennis (Curt.); and the im-
ported cabbageworm, Pieris rapa e 
(L.). The last was in small numbers. 
Materials and Methods 
The insecticides were: 
DDT; 50 per cent wettable powder. 
Derris; 7.94 per cent emulsible con-
centrate, form ulated for this experi-
ment by P . C. Oloffs , courtesy of 
La ters of Canada, 330 Lysander La n e, 
Richmond, B.C . 
Diazinon, 0 , O-diethyl 0- (2-isopro-
pyl-4-methyl - 6 - pyrimidinyl) phos-
phorothioate; 25 per cent emulsible 
concentrate; Fisons (Canada) Ltd. , 
Toronto , ant. 
Dimethoa te (Rogor), 0, O-dimethyl 
S - (N -methylcarbamoylmethyl) phos-
phorodithioate; 46 per cent soluble 
I Conlr ibu tion No. 35. Researc h St a tion. Re-
searc h Branch, Canada Department or Ag ric ulture, 
6660 N. \ \'. Marine Drive, Vancouver S, B.C. 
concentrate; American Cyanamid Co ., 
Stamford, Conn . 
Di-Syston, 0 , O-die thyl S-2(ethyl-
thio) ethyl phosphorodithioate; 5 per 
cent granules; Chemagro Corp. , San 
Mateo, Calif. 
Eka tin-M, 0 , O-dimethyl S-(mor-
pholino-carbamionyl-methyl) dithio-
phospha te ; emulsible concentrate 
conta ining 2.1 lb. active material per 
Imp. gallon ; Sandoz Ltd. , Basle, Swit-
zerland. 
La rva trol " 75 W" , wettable powder 
containing 75 billion spores per gm. of 
Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner ; Nut-
rilite Products, Inc. , Buena Park , 
Calif. 
Ma lathion ; 57 per cent emulsible 
concentrate ; America n Cyanamid Co .. 
Sta mford , Conn. 
P erthane, di (p-ethylphenyl) di-
chloroethane; emulsible concentrate 
containing 4 lb . of active material per 
u.S. gallon or 50 per cent wettable 
powder; Rohm & Haas Co. , Philadel-
phia 5, Pa. 
Phosdrin, dimethyl carbomethoxy-
propenyl phosphate; water soluble 
liquid containing 12 .3 lb . Phosdrin per 
Imp. gallon; Shell Oil Co. of Canada, 
Toronto, ant. 
Phosphamidon, dimethyl 2-chloro-
2-diethylcarba moyl-1-methyl vi n y I 
phosphate; " 4 spray" con taining 4 lb . 
of active material per Imp. gallon ; 
Or tho Agricultural Chemicals Ltd. , 
New Westminster , B .C. 
S evin, m eth ylnaphthyl carbamate ; 
50 per cent wettable powder ; Union 
Carbide Chemicals Co ., New York, N.Y . 
Thiodan , h exachloro - hexa hydro-
m eth ano-2 , 4, 3-benzo-dioxathiepin 
oxide; emulsible concentrate contain-
ing 2 lb. of active material per Imp. 
gallon ; Niagara Bra nd Chemicals, 
Burlington , ant. 
The surfactant Triton B 1956 
(Rohm and Haas Co., Philadelphia 5, 
Pa.) was added to a ll sprays at 4 
ounces per 100 gallons . Di -Syston 
granules were applied at the base of 
the plants in 1959 and 1960 ; in 1961 
they were mixed with the seed just 
before sowing. In that year th e 3 
brassica crops were not transplanted , 
bu t were grown directly from seed . 
Brussels sprou ts was the chief test 
crop , being used in all years. The 
m ethod s of culture and appraisal of 
results have been published (Forbes 
and MacCarthy , 1959 ). In 1961 the 
size of the plots was tripled to include 
eq ua l numbers of rows of broCCOli and 
rutabagas, in order to gauge th e effect 
of treatmen t on other brassica crops 
In each year a randomized block de-
s ign was used in 4 replicates . To de-
termin e any toxic effec t of seed fu r-
row treatment with Di-Syston by the 
end of the 1961 season (7 Nov.), 10 
plan ts were taken at random a nd 
weigh ed, from each of the 4 replica tes 
of the untreated, Di-Syston . and di-
methoa te plots . Above gro und weigh ts 
were r ecorded for Brussels sprouts 
a nd broccoli , bo th of which were not 
h a rvested; th e wei gh t of the entir e 
pla n t was recorded for ru tabagas. 
R ecords made later than 6 weeks 
a fter spraying a r e not used h ere (with 
an exception noted) , beca use a fter 
this tim e appa rent control may res ult 
from ina bility of tl1e pests to re-col-
onize, r a ther than from residual tox~ 
icity . 
Results with the bes t materials are 
presenteel by plotting the cumula tive 
totals (Fig . 1). This method permits 
easy comparison between the ra tes of 
increase in t reated and un treated 
plots. 
Bioassays were made in 1959 using 
discs 9 cm. in di a meter , cut from 
middle leaves of plants in each of the 
control and Di-Syston plo ts . The leaf 
discs were placed in petri dish es ancl 
ten adult aphids from green h ouse 
colonies were put into each dish. The 
survivors were counted after 3 days. 
Re sults and Discussion 
The populations levels of the 4 
pests varied from year to year a s 
shown by the totals in the untreated 
plots in 6 weekly counts on an upper, 
middle , a nd a lower leaf of 5 Brussels 
sprouts plants in 4 replications, i.e . 
on 60 lea ves per week: 
1959 1960 1961 
Cabbage aphids, 
colonies 115 83 495 
Green peach a phids, 
adults -- ------. . ---. --. . 591 123 155 
Diamondback moth 
la rvae 142 41 53 
Imported 
cabbageworms 27 11 4 
In 1959 gTeen peach aphids were 
sufficiently abundant by 28 July to 
wa rrant spraying, but cabbage aphids 
did not a ppear until a month later. 
Hence in Fig. 1 (upper left) the paints 
on th e graph r epresent counts made 
Jrom 31 to 66 da ys followin g spraying. 
Tables 1, 2, and 3 show the treat -
m ents, r ates and percentage control 
achieved , calculated by Abbott 's for-
mul a. The materi a ls are discussed 
h ere , in alph a betica l order: 
Since the local populations of dia -
mondback mo th an d imported cab-
bageworm were known to be suscep-
t ible, DDT was included (Table 1) as 
a s tandard against which other lar-
vacid es could be measured. 
Derri s is r ecommended on provin-
cia l spray calend a rs for use against 
caterpillars near harvest . It reduced 
the numbers to about one-half of 
tl10se in the control plots for 3 weeks 
followin g a pplication. Disadvantages 
to its use are the high cost and the 
difficu lty of obtaining fresh concen-
trate. 
Diazinol1 gave fa irly good results 
agains t a phids and caterpilla rs (Fig . 
1), a nd retained its effectiveness for 
2 weeks. It now a ppears on both the 
TABLE I.- P e rcenta ge co ntr o l of bra ssi ca pes ts [rom s ing le app ii catiuns ':' of in secti-
cides to Brusse ls s pruuts, based o n 6 lI'ee kl y count s, 31 .1ul y-9 Se pt., 1959, 
at Vancou ver , B.C. 
Act ive Ca bbage Gree n 
Trea tm e nt mate rial ap hid s': , .. P eac h Caterpillars 
pe r acre, ap hid s 
lb . 
Di azinon 25 S; EC 0.5 / 24 71 71 
with Perthane 50 ';1 WP 1 \ 
Dimethoate 46 % SC 1 47 86 49 
Di-Syston 5 G I'.ith 11 83 41 83 
DDT 50 S~ \VP 1\ 
Di-Svston 5 G ,dth 2/ 90 8 53 
Pe rthan e 50 ';{ WP 1 r 
Malathion 57 S{ E C 1.25 0 13 60 
Phosdrin WS .45 36 46 46 
Phosphamidon 4 0 .5 24 54 31 
Thiocl a n 2 E C 0.75 0 34 75 
,., Di-Sys ton lVas app li e d to the so il at th e base o[ the plants w he n th ey were 8 in. hi g h, 
3 and 4 Jul y_ Othe r m a te r ia ls a ppli ed 28 July. 
Cabbage ap hid s we r e a bsent until one month after a pplication of the sprays . These 
d a ta a r e based on th e 6 counts 28 Au g .-9 Oct. 
commercial and garden growers' cal-
endars. 
Dimethoate (Rogor) gave good con-
trol of all pests (Fig. 1), especially 
green peach aphids. Against cater-
pillars it had little effec t after a bout 
2 weeks. This material will be held 
in reserve for future recommenda-
tion . 
TABLE 2.- Percentage con trol 01 brassica pests from sing le app lications ':' of in secti-
cides to Brusse ls s pnlut s. based on 6 weekly counts, 29 A ug_-7 Oct. , 1960, 
at Vancouve r , B.C. 
Activ e Cabbage Gre e n 
Treatment material aphid s P each Caterpillars 
pe l' acre, a phids 
lb . 
Dim e thoa t e 46 % SC 1 76 87 52 
Di-Sy s ton 5 G 1/ 90 46 21 
lI·ilh Larvatrol 75 'vV 2) 
Di-S.vston 5 G 1 l 86 37 29 
,,-, ith d erris 7.94 ',( E C 1 pint ) 
Di -Sys ton 5 G 1/ 90 57 85 
wit h P e rth a ne 45 EC IS 
Di-Sys ton 5 G 1/ 83 63 71 
Il"ith Se\·in 50 \V 1 \ 
Ekatin - 1\1 20 E C 1 24 28 4 
l\fa la th ion 57 S, ~-:C 125/ 57 0 81 
wit h Pcrth a n e 45 EC J ) 
Phosdrin WS 0.5 66 18 42 
, Di-Sys ton I\"as a ppli ed to the 2, .il at the base of th e pLlnt s II·hen tlw y lI'e r e 8 in . hi g h 
20 Jul y_ Other mate ri a ls appliNI 25 A ug. , 1960. 
s 
Di-Syston alone h ad no effect on 
caterpillars (Forbes and MacCarthy, 
1959). Against ca bbage a phids it gave 
superior control, and was effec tive for 
a shorter time against gr een peach 
a phids. There was a ma rked r educ-
tion in the numbers of a phids even 
wh en it had been a ppli ed with the 
seed 100 days earlier ; in Brussels 
sprouts it reduced the numbers of 
cabbage aphid colonies by 74 per cent 
a nd of adult gr een peach a phids by 
53 per cent. However , furrow a pplica -
tion r educed the emergenc e of seed-
lings : in Brussels sprouts by 68 per 
cent, in broccoli by 46 per cent, and 
in ru tabagas by 62 per cent . Some of 
the young plants were s tunted but 
they had outgrown this when they 
were weighed on 7 November . Di-
Syston appeared on the commercial 
growers' spray calendar for 1962-63 
with the recommendation that the 
granules be applied a t transplantin g 
or as a side dressing. 
Eka tin-M used at the rate r ecom-
mended by the m an ufacturer gave 
poor results and was used in 1960 
only . 
La rvatrol "75 W" a ppeared to h ave 
little persistence but this m ay have 
r esulted in pa r t from ra in tha t fell on 
the 2nd , 3rd , and 4th days following 
the trea tment in 1960. 
Ma la thion proved in 3 seasons of 
t ri a l to be ineffective against a phids, 
but useful against caterpillars. It h as 
been retained in the home gardeners ' 
calendar because of its low mammal-
ia n toxicity but dropped from the 
commercia l growers' calendar. 
Per thane was tes ted 5 times in the 
3 years, in combination with Di-
SYE> ton , malathion , or Diazinon (Fig. 
1) , giving good to excellen t con trol of 
ca terpillars. It was included in the 
commercial growers' calenda r on the 
basis of its performance a nd ve ry low 
mammalian toxicity. 
Phosdrin is r ecommended as a late-
season and pre-harvest spray. It must 
be reapplied fr equ ently in seasons of 
heavy infestation , since pests appear 
to r ecover r a pidly. The short residual 
effect is clear (Fig. 1) . 
Phospha midon is a promising sys-
temic with useful characteristics. It 
h ad good contact action agains t the 
4 pests, with some systemic effect for 
2 weeks . This agrees with the manu-
factur ers' residue studies. 
Sevin was shown in earlier s tudies 
to be ineffective against aphids, but 
against ca t erpilla rs it was effective 
a nd persisten t (Fig . 1). 
Thioda n appeared to be in effective 
against cabbage aphids, but it r e-
duced the numbers of caterpillars for 
3 weeks a fter a pplication. 
The persistence of Di-Syston was 
inves tigated in 1959. Brussels sprouts , 
treat ed at 2 a nd 1 lb . toxicant per 
acre were h a rvested 101 and 102 days 
af ter trea tment and sent to the 
Chemagro Corporation , Kansas City, 
Mo ., for analysis. No detectible r esi-
du es were found . 
Table 4 shows the results of a bio-
assay of plants treated with Di-Sys-
ton. There was a significant reduc-
tion of cabbage aphids 126 days after 
treatment, but not later. Green peach 
a phids were not a ffected at 126 days 
a nd were not test ed again. 
I n 1961 the ma terials judged mos t 
eff ec tive during the previous 3 sea-
sons were t es t ed on Brussels sprouts, 
brOCCOli , and r u ta bagas. All the t reat-
ments (Ta ble 3) reduced (P = .01) 
the number of cabbage aphids for at 
least 6 weeks . Considering green 
peach aphids, the numbers were r e-
d uced to a highly s ignifican t degree 
by dimethoate for 6 weeks, by diaz-
inon and by Phosdrin for 4 weeks 
after spraying, and by Di-Syston for 
17 weeks or 119 days after the gran-
ules were applied . All the treatments 
(/) 
w 
z 
o 
...J 
o 
U 120 
(/) 
o 
J: 
Cl. 80 
< 
w 
t!) 
< 4 0 
CD 
CD 
< 
<.) 
(/) 
I-
...J 
::;) 
o 
< 600 
(/) 
o 
J: 
0.. 400 
< 
J: 
<.) 
< 
W 200 
Cl. 
z 
w 
w 
a: 
t!) 
(/) 120 
a: 
< 
...J 
...J 
Cl. 
a: 
W 
I-
< 
<.) 
80 
40 
1959 
80 
6 0 
40 / 
1960 
/ 
/ 
/ """'"", ' 300~ 1203 
600 
400 
/ 
/ PHOSORIN 
20 • ~:..-/. OI ME THOATE 
-.'.y 
200 
:--:~i'£'-'-'-' DI5VSTON 
/ -
12 0 /' UNTREATE D 6 00 
/. .:. PHOSORIN 
./' / 8 0 400 
/ ,/:_, OISYSTON 
40 .~:;;- 200 
'-;:::::'/ _. __ • olMETHOATE 
/. UNTREATED 
/ 60 
/ 
r. PH OSDR IN 
/ .. DIMETHOATE . :?' PERTHANE 40 
/ g " OIAZINON 
/. ( , / PER THANE 20 
. .&;/ 
,.-;~~ 
>:--~-:::::;.: 
. 10·---2~0~~3-0---4~0~------
!~;-.~. 
120 
./' 
__ ' UNTREATE D 
/ 80 
/ 
., PHOSDRIN 
• .~.,/""_//. DIMETHOATE ___ 4 0 
• .. / ... SEVIN 
~ 
/ . / MA LAT HION 
. ......-:::::~6.::::::~ P[RTHANE 
. :. ;:;;;:--" _ ::~.. PE RTHANE 
"~- .. 
10 20 30 4 0 
DAYS FOLLOWING SPRAYING 
1961 
/ ' UNTRE AlE O 
/. • DI5'rSTOH . / / . ./ /. . / 
/ , DIAZINON 
. /' / " PHOSoRIN 
, ~ . 
. ~ ~;C:-.-. olMETHOATE 
10 20 30 4 0 
F ig . I - Cumulativ e total numbc'r" of blass ica pest s showin g the co mparative r a tes of 
r ci nfestation [or (j Ireek .:> fulloll in g application of sprays. 
III 1'1:' .... I->' T II "II I. S, .... FlI:IT. (" ".l" .111:1.\. \'01.. 5~ (1.~62). DH ·. 1. 1!16~ 
TABLE 3.- Percentage control or br;~ss ica pests from s ing le applications':' of 
cides to Brussels sprlluts. broccoli, and ruta bagas, based on 6 
insecti -
wee kly 
counts, 5 Sept.·10 OCl., 1961. at Vancouver , B.C. 
Active Ca bbage Gree n 
Peach 
aph ids 
Treatment material aphid s Cate rpillars 
Diazinon 25 ';; EC 
Dimethoate 46 % SC 
Di·Sys ton 5 G with 
Perthane 45 EC 
P hosdrin WS 
per acre, 
lb. 
J 
1 
1 / 
1 \ 
0.5 
80 
94 
82 
73 
79 
96 
49 
82 
70 
44 
90 
35 
Di-Syston was a ppli ed with th e seed 17 May. Ot he r material s app li ed 30 August. 
significantly reduced the numbers of 
caterpilla rs for 2 weeks, with further 
highly significan t r eductions durin g 
the 5th week with Diazinon , dimetho-
ate and Perth ane. 
In the check plots there were fewer 
cabbage aphids (P = .001) in broccoli 
than in Brussels sprouts or r utabagas, 
but fewer green peach a phids (P = 
.10 ) in Brussels sprouts. The cater-
pillars were uniformly distri bu ted . 
Summary 
Thirteen insecticides were tested 
during 1959 , 1960, and 1961 for control 
of low to medium populations of cab-
bage aphids (Brevicoryne brassicae 
(L.) ), green peach aphids (Myzus 
persicae (Sulz.)), diamondback moth 
la rvae (Plute lla mac u l ip e n n i s 
(Curt.) ) , and imported cabbage-
worms (Pieris rapae (L.) ). The results 
a r e based on weekly appraisals, fol-
lowing s ingle applications of the in-
secticides to Brussels sprouts. Alone 
or in combinations the spray mate-
ri a ls were: DDT, derris, diazinon , di-
TABLE 4.- Surviving aphid s out o[ 40 caged lor 3 days on 9 cm. discs cut from middl e 
leaves of Brusse ls sp r () ut ~ plan ts, trea ted \I 'ith Di-Syston , 1959, Va ncouve r , 
B.C. 
Active material 
per acre , lb. 
Days foll ow in g treatme nt 
Cabbage aphid s Green peach ap hid s 
2 
1 
Con trol 
126 
3 
19 
30 
137 
6 
10 
9 
methoate, Eka tin-M, La l'va trol , mal-
athion , P er thane, Phosdrin , Phospha -
midon , Sevin and Thiodan. Di-Syston 
granules wer e a pplied in th e soil or 
with th e seed. The best a ll- a round 
control was achieved with Dimetho-
ate , Diazinon , Di-Syston plus Per-
than e, a nd Phosdrin . Di-Syston was 
fou nd to kill cabbage aphids up to 126 
days, although it could not be detect -
]44 
26 
22 
16 
126 
35 
25 
36 
ed by chemical means 102 days after 
application. Applied in th e seed fur-
row it r ed uced emergence by up to 68 
pel' cent, a nd caused stunting. 
Acknowledgments 
Grat e ful ack no wledgment is made [or 
assis tan ce in the field from my co ll eagues. 
A . R. Fo r bes, A. T. S. Wi lkinson, and D. G. 
Finlayson. Technical he lp \\'as g iven by 
iVI. D. Nobl e, J. Hill , A. Clancy , a nd N. J. 
Film er . 
Reference 
Forbes. A. R. , an d H. R. } lacC:l r (hv . Control of aphids and cate rpillars 011 Brussels 
sprouts in B ri t ish Colun,bi a. P ro c. Entomol. Soc . Brit. Co lumbi a 56: 33-39. 1959. 


Insecticides for control of brassica pests in British Columbia

Harvey, J. K.

Ross, D. A.

population levels and defoli a tion . Al-
though pupal counts were made in 
the fall of 1960, there was no way of 
determinin g if the numbers found 
represented a potentia lly da n gerous 
population. Because of the r educed 
population in the s pring of 1961 it 
was not feasible to develop a m ethod 
for sampling eggs. 
A n umber of n a tura l control fact-
ors contributed to the decrease of the 
population . Larva l pa rasites, although 
no t numerou s enough to exert a ny 
grea t degree of control , were present 
in a pprecia ble numbers. Pupa l pa ra-
sitism accounted fo r a bou t 30 per cent 
morta lity in the overwintering' popu-
lation , but does not acco un t for th e 
hea vy pupa l mortali ty a nd the r esul t-
in g low moth emergence. COl'dyceps 
is an unknown factor. but could h ave 
played a s ignificant role in the col-
lapse of the ou tbreak. 
One of the aspects in the outbreak 
which is difficult at this time to 
explain is the severe tree mortality on 
Villa verd e Island. Aerial surveys, 
supported by ground observations, 
indicate that tree mortality was r ela-
tive ly light on Bligh I sla nd, a lthough 
it is near Villaverde Island and also 
received h eavy defoliation. 
The nature of the recent infesta-
tion pOints out one of th e great 
difficulties in dealing with looper out-
breaks. The population started to 
increase throughout most of Vancou-
ver Isla nd (in fac t throughout most 
r egions of the Va ncouver Forest Dis-
trict) in 1958, and reached a level in 
1959 whi'ch must now be r egarded a s 
da ngerously high . Populations r e-
ma ined high or increased in 1960 only 
in isol a ted loca lities a long the west 
coast of Vancouver Island ; elsewhere 
the number of larvae dropped . 
Defoliation h eavy enough to be ob-
served from the a ir occurred in 32 
loca lities, tota llin g less than 23 ,000 
acres, sca ttered a long 80 lineal miles 
of inaccessibl e coast line. Of this a rea 
on ly 4,640 ac res were h eavily defoli-
ated , and over three -quarters of the 
total tr ee morta lity of 2,400,000 cu. ft. 
occurred on a few s mall isla nds of 
only 260 ac res. It' fu ture outbreaks 
fo llow a simila r pattern very compre-
h ensive a nd d eta iled surveys would 
be required to detect a nd ta ke action 
to prevent such heavy morta lity from 
occurring again on other sma ll islands 
or inlets a lon g the coast. 
Summary 
The green-striped for es t looper 
which sta rted to increase in 1957 
r eached severe outbreak proportions 
in 1960 in a large number of small 
separate loca lities a long the west 
coast of Vancouver I sla nd. The popu-
lation decreased to a low level in 
1961. Tree morta lity, up to the fall of 
1961, was estimated a t 2,400 ,000 cu, ft. 
of western hemlock . 
This species must be added to the 
growing lis t of defoliators capable of 
causing damage to forests in British 
Columbia. 
Note on the reference collection of inflated larvae at the 
Forest Entomology Laboratory, Vernon, B.C. 
Over th f' pas t few yea r s th e refe r e nce col-
lec ti on of infl a ted la rvae of lep id optero us 
and h ~' menoplerous t r ce defo liato rs haS 
bee n ex pand ed gff~a tl y . The coll ection is 
chi e fl y used as a refere nce a id in id e ntify in g 
la r Vae' take n in Survey co ll ectio ns or sub· 
mitted by persons in fo rest in d us try a nd 
r f' la ted fi e ld s . 
Hep rese nted in th e co ll ec tion (I r e: 
Fami li es 
Gener a 
Spec ies 
Lepidoptera 
34 
209 
350 
Hymenoptera 
6 
20 
23 
The co llection co ntain s most co mm on a nd 
many uncomm on defoli ators found in the 
for ests of inte ri o r Briti sh Columbi a . The 
le pidopterous fa mili es a r e r eprese nt ed by a 
I'a ri ed num bel' of species; for exa mple , th e 
co ll ectiun contains 130 species of Geometri-
dae , 75 sp('cies of Noctuid ae and 15 species 
of Notodontid ae. The tota l number of in-
na~ed iarvae is about 1.530. 
Thi s note is publi shed to make local ento-
mol ogists [l\Var e of the ex iste nc e of th e co l-
lec tion a nd to invite th em to usc it. 
.t. fl' . // ff/'/")/ ff/lfl iJ . . -1. 1,' ()88 . /-' I)n'sl /':/llu-
II / ollJ.'I .1J L rtlif)ru/fJ/'./f. \ ' e j '/flJlI . N.f' , 


Note on the reference collection of inflated larvae of the Forest Entomology Laboratory, Vernon, B.C.

Finlayson, D. G.

,., " ., 
MacGillivray, 1\1. E. 1954. Note on Myzus ascalonicus Doncaster (I-Iomoptera: Ap hid 3e), 
an aphid nell' to North America. Ca n. Ent. 86: 454 . 
l\1assee, A. M. 1935. Notes on the stra wberry aphid (Capitophorus fragariae (Theo. )). 
Ann . Rept. Ea st Ma Ili ng Res. Sta. [or 1934: 173·179. 
Mellor, F. C. a nd A. R. Forbes. Ul60. Studi es of virus di seases of st raw berri es in Brit · 
ish Co lumbia Ill. Transmi ssion of strawbe rr~' viruses by ap hid s. Ca n . J. 
Botany 38: 343-352. 
Palmer, NI. A. 1952. Aphids of the Rocky Mountain Region. The Thomas Say Fo un da · 
tion . Vol. 5. 452 pp 
Riehm'ds, W. R. 1958. Personal communication , dated July 4. 
Richards, W. R. 1959. A new genus and three new species of Ap hidid ae (Hol11op tera). 
Ca n. Ent. 91: 248-253. 
Schaefers, G. A. 1960. A systematic study or. t he stnl\\'b f"r ry aphid complex (Penta-
trichopus spp. J. Anna ls Ent. Soc. Amer. 53: 783-793 . 
Spencer, C. J. 1959. On mounting lice by the His Lambers met hod for aphid s. Proc . 
Ent. Soc. British Co lumbi a. 56: 53 . 
Resistance to insecticides in root maggots in British Columbia 
Co nsid erable ex perim entat ion by e ntomol -
ogists of th e Victoria , Agass iz, Chilli wilc k, 
and Ka mloops laboratories resulted in effe c-
tive co ntrols fur on ion maggots, Hylemya 
antiq ua (Meig. ), in onions; cabbage ma ggots, 
Hy lemya brass ic:ae (Bouc he) , in cole c rops; 
a nd carrot maggots (carro t ru st fiYJ , Psila 
rosae (F.t in carrots, parsnips , a nd ce lery. 
Each control included one or more of the 
cyciodiene gr oup of chlorinated h.vd rocar -
bOil S. 
Until 1957, damage to onions lI'as reduced 
belo\\' one per cenl by us in g dieldrin applied 
to the seed . In 1957 damage a t one location 
nea r Va ncouver \\'as above 75 per cen t and 
great numbers ot maggu ts we re present. In 
1958 clamnge ",as ge ne ra l \V hel'e ver on ions 
wer e g rown com m erci a lly in B.C. P upari a 
sent to Oregon State University , Corvallis , 
for toxico lugica l testing sho wed t hat m ag-
gots from Vancou ver , Vel'llOn , Kamloups and 
Ke lo lVna lVere res istant to dieldrin a nd hep-
tach lor hut st ill susce ptible to DDT a'lel 
malath ion. 
In 195!1 reports of poor control of ca bbage 
maggots ncar Victoria un Vancouver Isbnd 
indicated t hat res ista nc e had developed. 
Puparia from th e field s co ncernecl a nd fro m 
fie lds nea r Vancouver lI'ere sen t to the En· 
tomologica l Laboratory, Chatham, Ont.. for 
testing. The resu lts sholVed that fii es from 
the Fi e ld s on Van co uver Island had a hi gh 
degre e of r es ista nce to cyclodiene hydrocar-
bons hu t II'ere st ii l suscept ibl e to th e phos-
phate Diazinon. Flies from the 10IVer ma in -
land were still sll sceptib le to both types. 
In 1961 loss of tiw first pla nting of ca rrots 
a t Colony Farm , Essondal c, signalled resist-
ance in carrot ma ggots . Puparia from this 
fie ld were se nt to Chatham for testing. The 
res ults showed a high degree of resistance 
to th e cycioci ient' in secticides but s uscep ti-
bility to phosphates. 
Hesistant cabbage and carrot maggots oc-
curred only in isob led pockets unti l t he 
summ er of 19()2 . Then resistant cabbage 
maggots were reported a nd lat er confirmed 
from Abbotsford and Cloverdale , the t lVO 
prinCipal cole crup ::redS o[ the 100\'er main-
land. Unco ntro lled dama ge in 1962 to fir st 
p lan tir, g c;lrrots at Colebrook and to second 
planting carrots at Cloverdal e with la ter 
cunfi rmatury tests showed t hat resistan t car-
rot magguts had becom e esta bl: shed in thuse 
ar eas. 
An alarming feature wa s t he very la rge 
numbers of each species at locations \I'here 
r es ista nce developed . We are nol\' f aced 
\I'ith th e problem of r educing th e po pulat ion 
to acceptab ly 10\1' numbers usi ng control 
practices that are not enti r ely sat isfa ctor y. 
- /J . (/ , F in /f l,'f.,",") /! , 1.'1 S" Ii/"!' ..... 'I I/ /· , ill . of)6 '-\ 
:\' , II ' , .I/u,.i lll' /J ri((', \ '.' II/UJl fl ' , ,. ~. l: J '. 


Resistance to insecticides in root maggots in British Columbia

Book review: Wasp Farm, by H.S. Evans

10 PROC. E-"TO~I O L. Soc. BRIT. C OL1.7 MBIA . VOL. 61 (1964) , DEC. 1, 1964 
References 
Billings, S. C. 1963. Consolidated list of approved common names of insecticides and 
cert'ain other pesticides. Bull . Entomol. Soc. America 9(3):189-197. 
Finlayson, D. G., H. H. Crowell, A. J . Howitt, D. R. !;icott, and A. J . Walz. 1960. Chemical 
. control of the onion maggot in onions grown from seed in various types of soil 
in northwestern North America in 1955 and 1956. J. Econ. Entomo!. 52:851-856. 
Forbes, A. R., and D. G. Finlayson. 1957. Species of root maggots (Diptera:Anthomyiidae) 
of cruciferous crops in British Columbia. Proc. Entomo!. Soc. Brit. Columbia 
54:25-28. 
Harris, C. R., G. F. Manson, and J . H. Mazurek. 1962. Development of insecticidal resist-
ance by soil insects in Canada. J. Econ. Entomol. 55:777-780. 
Howitt, A. J . 1959 Personal communication. 
-----, and S. G. Cole, 1962. Chemical control of Hylemya brassicae in the 
Pacific Northwest. J . Econ. Entomo!. 55:33-38. 
Kenaga, E. E. 1963. Commercial and experimental organic insecticides (1963 Revision) 
indexed as to their scientific, common, and trade names, code designations, 
uses and manufacturers. Bull. Entomo!. Soc. America 9(2) :67-103. 
King, K. M., and A. R. Forbes. 1954. Control of root maggots in rutabagas. J. Econ. 
Entomol. 47:607-615. 
-----, D. G. Finlayson, H. G. Fulton, and A. J . Howitt. 1955. Co-ordinated experi-
ments on chemical control of root maggots in rutabagas in British Columbia 
and Washington, 1953. J . &on. Entomo!. 48 :47~73. 
Read, D. C. 1960. Control of root maggots in rutabagas, cabbages, and related plants in 
the Maritime Provinces. Processed Publication No. 1075. Research Branch, 
Canada Departm€nt of Agriculture. 
Chrysophana placida infesting buildings in British Columbia 
(Coleoptera: Buprestidae) 
In January, 1963, I received an enquiry 
from a lodge a,t McGillivray Falls, Ander-
son Lake, concerning beetles that wer€ 
emerging from the walls of a fir log build-
ing. The accompanying specimens were 
Chrysophana placida Leconte, a beautiful 
golden green beetle with a purple stripe 
down each elytron and iridescent green on 
the underside. The females are one-half 
inch long, males slightly less. I had taken 
specimens at Salmon Arm, Kamloops, Chil-
cotin and Victoria, but knew nothing of 
their life history. In February owners of 
the lodge sent 36 more beetles with the in-
formation that ,three or four were emerg-
ing every day from the inside of the logs 
and actively running around. They came 
mainly from two logs on one side and from 
one log on the adjoining side of the room. 
There is little publJshed information on 
this species, but Doane, et al. suggest that 
there are evidences that they re-infest tim-
ber from which they have recently emerg-
ed. The lodge was 11 years old so the 
beetles had either been slowly developing 
during that time or the first ones that 
emerged had oviposited in the logs. To the 
owner's recollection it was the third year 
that the beetles had appeared . It is thus 
Hkely that with the slow drying of the 
logs, the l'arval development was corre-
spondingly delayed . Emerging only on the 
inside of the logs, the larvae would appear 
to be attracted to heat before pupating. 
This infestation almost panllels one 
that was reported in May, 1949, by a resi-
dent in Salmon Arm who claimed that "the 
beetles were working throughout the house 
. . . which is constructed of squared timbers 
with I-inch strips nailed to the inside of 
same and then 2-ply of half-inch lumber 
with paper between; on top of that either 
gyproc or beaver board: the logs, lumber 
and the inside finish is being drilled 
throughout. The beetles are even boring 
through new gyproc." One living beetle 
was taken from an outside wall which had 
apparently been wa·rmed by the sun. 
According ,to Doane et al. the normal 
life history of tills insect is several years 
so that 10 years would seem to be about 
the longest delay that can occur in the life 
of the larva before it pupates as opposed 
to the several-times-reported period of 50 
years in the case of Buprestis aurulenta. 
Reference 
Doane, R. W., R. C. Van Dyke, W. J. Cham-
berlain, and H. E. Burke. Forest in-
sects. McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc. 
1936. 
- G. J . Spencer, University 
Of Bri tish Columbia, 
Vancou ver 8, B .C. 


Not a member yet

The black widow spider, Lactrodectes mactans Fabr., in Vancouver

Note on predation by Calosoa frigidum Kby. on Operophtera bruceata Hlst.

Dock sawfly larvae boring holes in cedar siding

Book Review: The Forest and the Sea

Insecticides for control of brassica pests in British Columbia

Note on the reference collection of inflated larvae of the Forest Entomology Laboratory, Vernon, B.C.

Resistance to insecticides in root maggots in British Columbia

Book review: Wasp Farm, by H.S. Evans

Chrysophana placida infesting buildings in British Columbia (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)

Inherent tolerance in larvae of the root weevils Sciopithes obscurus Horn and Nemocestes incomptus (Horn) to common soil insecticides

1,339

1,660