Green June beetle, Cotinis nitida (L.), is an important pest of grapes, peaches, blackberries, blueberries, apples, and pears, yet cumulative degree days that this species requires for outbreak have not been delineated. We monitored green June beetle populations in Mountain Grove, Missouri, USA, for five consecutive years (2009–2013) using traps baited with isopropanol. Our results show that cumulative degree day (CDD) calculation with starting point of March 1^st, single sine method of calculation, and 10°C as the base temperature may be used for forecasting green June beetle population dynamics. Five year average ± SE was 888.96 ± 36.78 CDD for the first catch of the green June beetle and 1237.68 ± 25.31 CDD for peak trap catch. Our data also suggest that in the relatively rainy environment in Mountain Grove, the departures from the five year average observed in a given year were not correlated with precipitation preceding the first flight and peak activity of green June beetle populations.

The larva and karyotype of a Xenochironomus sp. in North America is described from two localities in Kansas. Its karyotype and larval morphology are differentiated from Xenochironomus xenolabis (Kieffer, 1916) and Xenochironomus sp. occurring in Russia. Differentiating characteristics of the larvae are lack of small teeth adjacent to the central tooth of mentum, and flagellum of antenna extending to the beginning of fourth segment of the antenna. Differentiating characteristics of the karyotype are 2n = 8, with polytene chromosomes combined in chromocentres of different degrees of stability, species-specific chromosome band sequences, and location of active regions. The species is very polymorphous, with every chromosome arm having complex heterozygous inversions occurring in high frequency. Chromosome rearrangements found in the species are discussed and the relation with other Xenochironomus species is proposed.

Stichotrema carnatus n. sp. is described from Costa Rica. This is the first species in Stichotrema reported from Central America, however this is likely due to lack of collecting rather than a reflection of the actual diversity of this genus in this region. Of the now 47 valid species of Stichotrema, S. carnatus n. sp. becomes only the sixth extant species from the New World. Stichotrema carnatus n. sp. appears morphologically to most closely resemble Stichotrema trilobulatum but differs in several important characters.

Russian wheat aphids (Diuraphis noxia) are one of the most important pests on wheat in the world. This study was conducted to determine the effect of selected herbicides on the Russian wheat aphids. D. noxia were reared on wheat and all herbicide experiments conducted under controlled laboratory conditions. Assessments were made before the application of herbicides, and at 3, 7, 14 and 21 days after application (DAA). The lowest densities of D. noxia were seen on 2,4-D ester-treated plants. The smallest leaf chlorosis caused by D. noxia was found on tribenuron-methyl-treated plants at 3 DAA, and tribenuron-methyl-treated plants had the lowest leafrolling damage caused by D. noxia. Although all untreated plants were easily broken at the soil surface at 21 DAA, it was observed that all herbicide-treated plants were bent downward slightly but not broken. The active ingredients of fenoxaprop-p-ethyl fenohlorazole-ethyl, tribenuron-methyl and 2,4-D ester had a negative impact on D. noxia, and suppressed aphid populations from 3 DAA. Statistical analyses showed that effects of all herbicides used in the experiment were significant.

Tipula (Vestiplex) tchukchi obtusidens Savchenko, 1964 is designated as a synonym of the nominotypical species Tipula (Vestiplex) tchukchi Alexander, 1934 syn. nov. Tipula (Vestiplex) aldrichiana Alexander, 1929 and Tipula (Vestiplex) balioptera Loew, 1863 are reported as new to the Russian fauna and the Palaearctic – East Beringian region.

Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) are pests of a vast array of crops globally, contributing to significant yield loss annually. Biological control, utilizing natural enemies to suppress focal pest species, has often been integrated into aphid management practices. To ensure that arthropod predators are consuming the target aphid, and ultimately have an impact on pest population dynamics, it is important to gather information on consumption patterns in space and time. Molecular gut content analysis can be used to assess the strength of trophic linkages between predators and prey by detecting the presence of species-specific DNA (including aphid DNA) in their gut. However, many generalist predators readily consume aphid honeydew as an additional nutritive resource beyond direct consumption of prey. This raises the important question of whether aphid honeydew is responsible for false-positive predation events being recorded using DNA-based gut content analysis, should honeydew contain detectable quantities of aphid DNA. To evaluate this potential source of error, we examined honeydew of three species of aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, Sitobion avenae, and Rhopalosiphum padi, for aphid DNA using standard gut content analysis methods. After extensive testing, we revealed that aphid honeydew did not contain any detectable aphid DNA for any of the species, nor did honeydew inhibit the amplification of aphid DNA in positive control experiments. These data indicate that aphid predation rates previously reported are not influenced by direct consumption of honeydew. This study, therefore, shows that using DNA-based gut content analysis is a reliable method to measure aphid predation in the field, even when predators are exposed to and consume, honeydew.

A survey of insect pollinators and the foraging behavior of Carniolan honey bees (Apis mellifera carnica Pollmann) and dwarf honey bees (A. florea F.) on alfalfa flowers was conducted in May of 2013 and 2014. Fifteen insect species belonging to 11 families and 6 orders were recorded as pollinators on alfalfa flowers. The most abundant order was Hymenoptera. In comparison to the Carniolan bees, the dwarf bees were more active on alfalfa flowers. Two peaks of foraging activity for the two species were recorded; the first one was at 0800–0900 hrs, while the second and the highest peak was at 1700–1800 hrs. Carniolan bees were more active in gathering pollen at 0800–0900 hrs. It is concluded that Carniolan and dwarf honey bees were found to be the most abundant pollinators on alfalfa flowers in Saudi Arabia. The present study recommends that, to protect insect pollinators, it is advisable to apply pesticides, if needed, during the flowering period of alfalfa when the bees are not active in the fields, so as to maintain the pollinator population and protect the alfalfa crop.

In this study, the fauna of Papilionoidea and Hesperioidea (Lepidoptera) from the Amanos Mountains in İslahiye, Gaziantep province, Turkey has been investigated. Information obtained from a series of field studies carried out during 2006–2007 is given. Collection of butterfly specimens was carried out in 55 different localities for this study. A total of 2276 specimens belonging to 76 species distributed in 48 genera within five families were collected. The distribution of species, according to families, is as follows: Papilionidae, five; Pieridae, 13; Nymphalidae, 28; Lycaenidae, 18 and Hesperiidae, 12. The evaluation of literature revealed that 48 of the 76 species collected in this study are new records for the Lepidoptera fauna of the Amanos Mountains, and nine of them are new records for the Gaziantep province.