Exploitation of Eggs of the Colorado Potato Beetle, \u3ci\u3eLeptinotarsa Decemlineata\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), by the Exotic Egg Parasitoid \u3ci\u3eEdovum Puttleri\u3c/i\u3e (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) in Eggplant

Edovum puttleri is a newly discovered, exotic, egg parasitoid of the Colorado potato beetle, (CPB) Leptinotarsa decemlineata. The exploitation of CPB eggs by E. puttleri was examined in a New Jersey eggplant field. E. puttleri parasitized 46.8% of the CPB eggs present in the field. Exploitation of eggs within eggmasses was high; 73.9% of CPB eggs in eggmasses attacked by E. puttleri were parasitized

Late Winter Foraging by Honeybees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) at Sapsucker Drill Holes

Observations of Apis mellifera foraging at sapsucker drill holes were made during February 1988 in southwestern Virginia. Foraging bouts were dependent upon temperature; more bees visited drill holes when ambient temperatures exceeded 10oC. Honeybees did not feed directly at drill holes but collected congealed sap from bark surfaces

Movement, Dispersion, and Orientation of a Population of the Colorado Potato Beetle, \u3ci\u3eLeptinotarsa Decemlineata\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), in Eggplant

Short-term dispersal, dispersion, and orientation of a population of the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata. were examined in a uniformly spaced planting of eggplant using a mark-recapture technique. Recaptures of marked beetles declined throughout the study, the greatest decline occurring 24 h after release. Dispersal of remaining beetles through the field was gradual; beetle numbers declined with distance from the release point during the first 3 days of the study and increased with distance thereafter. Beetles were highly aggregated for 3-4 days after release but were well dispersed for the remainder of the study. Dispersal of aggregated beetles may have been stimulated by host plant defoliation. Orientation of dispersing beetles was significantly nonrandom for the majority of the study. Beetles oriented predominantly east-northeast

\u3ci\u3eChrysochus Auratus\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Absolved as Pecan Pest

Chrysochus auratus, the dogbane beetle, has been erroneously implicated as a pecan defoliator in the early literature. Alternative scenarios suggest other chrysomelid species that may have been responsible for the defoliation

\u3ci\u3eCoreopsis Tinctoria\u3c/i\u3e: An Unrecorded Host Plant of Adult \u3ci\u3eCalligrapha Callfornica Coreopsivora\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Adults of Calligrapha californica coreopsivora are recorded feeding upon cultivated Coreopsis tinctoria in southwestern Virginia. Coreopsis tinctoria is an unrecorded host plant of this beetle

Why Are There So Few Insect Predators of Nuts of American Beech \u3ci\u3e(Fagus Grandifolia)?\u3c/i\u3e

American beech, Fagus grandifolia Ehrh., is a common nut-bearing tree of eastern North America. Compared to other North American nut-bearing tree species of comparable geographic range, the nut-infesting insect fauna of American beech is species-poor: only the filbertworn, Cydia latiferreana (Wlsm.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), infests nuts of American beech. Why are there so few insect predators of nuts of American beech? Using data from published studies, I explore two hypotheses that may help to explain the species-poor nut-infesting insect fauna of American beech. First, might chemical defense of beechnuts, and/ or low nutritional value, restrict the number of insect predators that can exploit this food resource (unprofitable resource hypothesis)? Second, may spatial and temporal variability of beechnut mast crops limit colonization by nut-infesting insects because of the unpredictability of the resource (unpredictable resource hypothesis)? I found no strong evidence to suggest that chemical defense or low nutritional value was associated with the species-poor nut-infesting insect fauna of American beech. Yearly variability in nut crop size alone did not explain the low species richness of American beech compared to other tree species. Instead, I suggest that spatial and temporal unpredictability in production of sound versus incomplete beechnuts was an effective filter that limited colonization of beechnuts by insects. Moreover, the lone insect species able to successfully colonize beechnuts, C. latiferreana, is well adapted to resource unpredictability. Unlike specialist insect species that infest nuts of only 1 or 2 North American tree genera, C. latiferreana has a relatively broad host range and its mobile larvae can relocate to new resources when faced with food shortages

New Host Plants for Adult \u3ci\u3eSystena Hudsonias\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) From Southwestern Virginia

Adults of the flea beetle, Systena hudsonias, were observed feeding on Ambro- sia trifida and eight previously unrecorded host plants in southwestern Virginia. New host plant records for S. hudsonias include: Arctium minus, Aster nova­ angliae, Chrysanthemum maximum, Eupatorium fistulosum, Helianthus annuus, Rudbeckia hirta (Asteraceae), Mentha spicata (Lamiaceae), and Verbena urticifoiia (Verbenaceae)

Simultaneous Parasitism of Field-Collected Green Cloverworm, \u3ci\u3eHypena Scabra\u3c/i\u3e (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Larvae by Endoparasitioids and an Entomopathogenic Fungus

The impacts of entomopathogens (e.g., fungi, bacteria, protists and viruses) on larval Lepidoptera and their associated insect parasitoids have been examined in laboratory studies but field studies of interaction between these two mortality factors are rare. We present field observations of concurrent insect parasitism and fungal disease infection in larvae of the green cloverworm, Hypena scabra, a sporadic pest of soybean (Glycine max) in North America. We reared ten parasitoid species from H. scabra larvae during our three-month study. Three parasitoid species were dominant and overlapped the period of infection by the entomopathogenic fungus Nomuraea rileyi: Aleiodes nolophanae, Cotesia plathypenae and Campylochaeta plathypenae. Two of the three parasitoid species, Co. plathypenae and Ca. plathypenae, completed development within H. scabra larvae infected by N. rileyi. Overall incidence of simultaneous parasitism and fungal infection was low, averaging 6.7% of H. scabra larvae parasitized by Ca. plathypenae and 3.3% of those parasitized by Co. plathypenae

Earworms ("stuck song syndrome"): towards a natural history of intrusive thoughts

Two studies examine the experience of “earworms”, unwanted catchy tunes that repeat. Survey data show that the experience is widespread but earworms are not generally considered problematic, although those who consider music to be important to them report earworms as longer, and harder to control, than those who consider music as less important. The tunes which produce these experiences vary considerably between individuals but are always familiar to those who experience them. A diary study confirms these findings and also indicates that, although earworm recurrence is relatively uncommon and unlikely to persist for longer than 24 hours, the length of both the earworm and the earworm experience frequently exceed standard estimates of auditory memory capacity. Active attempts to block or eliminate the earworm are less successful than passive acceptance, consistent with Wegner’s (1994) theory of ironic mental control