In North America, brood parasitic bees of the genus Coelioxys attack nests of solitary nest-provisioning bees of the genus Megachile. Using trap-nests in central New York State, we found Coelioxys modesta (Smith) in 49% of 72 nests and 27% of 313 cells provisioned by Megachile campanulae (Robertson). Because we had a nearly complete record of the species and sex of individuals developing in nest cells, we were able to use logistic regression to test several hypotheses concerning the risk of brood parasitism, the spatial distribution of infested cells, and the sex and size of C. modesta at different cell positions. The probabilities that a nest was infested or contained multiple C. modesta were higher in nests of larger diameter and in those had been active for longer durations. Cells of the host and cells infested with C. modesta tended to cluster with those of conspecifics within nests, an observation consistent with the hypothesis that individual female C. modesta remain at or frequently revisit individual host nests in which they have already oviposited. One nest contained a string of six consecutive cells attacked by C. modesta. As is typical of cavity-nesting Megachile, M. campanulae female offspring tended to predominate in inner cells of nests. Because the risk of attack by C. modesta was unrelated to cell position, however, M. campanulae offspring sex ratio did not differ between infested and uninfested nests. Brood parasites within inner nest cells were more likely to be Females. Males in inner cells tended to be above average in body size, probably as a result of inner cells containing larger pollen masses. A review of studies of Coelioxys brood parasitism of Megachile revealed that the percent of M. campanulae nests infested in our study is one of the highest published values.

The lesser (or small) chestnut weevil, Curculio sayi (Gyllenhal), is the key economic pest of chestnut in the central and eastern regions of the United States. Previous research identified the major components of the volatile profile emanating from several chestnut plant tissue types. The goal of this project was to evaluate for the first time the physiological (via electroantennogram) and behavioral (via Y-tube olfactometer) responsiveness of C. sayi to blends of selected key chestnut volatile organic compounds (VOCs) across weevil sex and seasonal period of adult activity. The VOC treatment mixtures that generated the highest (and mostly significant) mean electroantennogram (EAG) responses for both sexes and periods of adult activity were the 2-compound mixture treatments, specifically the treatments of 2-heptanone ethyl butyrate, 2 heptanone (E)-2-hexenal, and (E)-2-hexenal ethyl butyrate. All 3- and 4-compound mixtures generated significantly lower mean EAG responses than most of the 2-compound mixture treatments. Results of the behavioral study did not reflect the results from the EAG study. Both male and female weevils, regardless of when they were collected during the season, did not exhibit a significantly greater preference towards any of the VOC mixture treatments compared with a control. As such, further studies must be conducted on additional chestnut VOCs in order to identify the optimal blend (and ratios of), as well as dosage, that will elicit a positive behavioral response before such VOCs can be utilized in a C. sayi monitoring and/or management practice.

We report and annotate new Connecticut state records for fourteen bee species: Eucera (Synhalonia) hamata (Bradley), Holcopasites calliopsidis calliopsidis (Linsley), Nomada tiftonensis Cockerell, Triepeolus remigatus (Fabricius), Andrena (Derandrema) uvulariae Mitchell, Pseudopanurgus compositarum (Robertson), Lasioglossum (Dialictus) abanci (Crawford), Lasioglossum (Dialictus) lionotum (Sandhouse), Lasioglossum (Dialictus) michiganense (Mitchell), Lasioglossum (Dialictus) platyparium (Robertson), Lasioglossum zonulum (Smith), Hylaeus (Prosopis) illinoisensis (Robertson), Hylaeus (Prosopis) aff. nelumbonis, and Hylaeus (Prosopis) schwarzii (Cockerell). In addition, we report and discuss other noteworthy bee records from Connecticut to clarify taxonomy, nomenclature, status, habitat, or ecoregion.

Habitat management within agroecosystems can conserve wild pollinator communities by providing nesting and floral resources. However, demarcating arable land for conservation may reduce farm income. A conciliatory habitat management plan thus consists of planting harvestable commodities which offer pollinator resources. This study’s goal was to determine whether a single species annual flowering crop could support an abundant and diverse wild pollinator community despite its own uniformity. Local bee communities were sampled using pan traps and hand collection within sixty 10 m² plots of a sunflower, Helianthus annuus L., field and thirty 10 m² plots within a meadow three times throughout August, 2012. In total, 2316 bees were collected with Bombus impatiens Cresson constituting 81.5% of sampled bees. Examined collectively, hand collections yielded significantly higher bee abundances in the sunflower field (P < 0.01) across every sampling date. Conversely, an equivalent number of pan-trapped bees occurred among habitats for all sampling dates except week three (P = 0.02) when a greater abundance was observed in the sunflower habitat. Species diversity did not differ (P_hand = 0.99, P_pan = 0.97) between habitats although community composition differed with high significance (P < 0.01) indicating that these habitats had comparable diversity levels but attracted particular bee assemblages. Our study identifies sunflower crops as useful pollinator resources, especially for Bombus species, and provides insight into single species annual crops’ potential contribution to pollinator conservation.

Males of the wasp Scolia dubia search for emerging females by flying low over the ground in areas, such as lawns, that contain the immature scarab beetles upon which the grubs feed. When an adult female emerges and is discovered by a searching male, other males often join the discoverer, forming a frenzied ball of males around the female. When captured along with these males by an observer, a freshly emerged female continues to attract males even after she has mated, presumably because her scent continues to be detected by other males. Some males of S. dubia also search for mates in shrubs and trees encircling a lawn as shown by the sexual response of these males to a frozen but thawed female placed in a shrub or tree known to be visited by flying males. Male flight activity peaks around midday but then diminishes as the afternoon proceeds.

Fifty-four species of Anthicidae in five subfamilies and ten genera are listed for Peru, with ten species being newly recorded from Peru and fourteen species known only from Peru at this time. Additionally the data for 25 species that are either undescribed or unplaceable at this time are recorded.

A checklist of the camptosomate leaf beetles of Peru, Cryptocephalinae and Lamprosomatinae, is presented with 14 genera and 43 documented species. This contribution is part of the “Beetles of Peru” project.

A revised list of the Cantharidae of Peru is proposed. The following taxonomic changes are proposed: Cantharis lagunitana var. otuzconensis Pic 1911 =  Discodon (Falsopolemius) otuzconense (Pic, 1911), n. status and n. comb.; Cantharis subannulipes Pic, 1911  =  Discodon subannulipes (Pic, 1911), n. comb.; Discodon subannulipes Pic, 1914 (nec Pic, 1911)  =  Discodon neosubannulipes, n. nom.; Telephorus trimaculatus Pic, 1909  =  Discodon trimaculatum (Pic, 1909), n. comb.; Silis longissima Pic, 1927  =  Plectonotum longissimum (Pic, 1927), n. comb.; Malthodes peruvianus Pic, 1913  =  Tytthonyx peruvianus (Pic, 1913), n. comb.; Malthodes flavofemoralis Pic, 1955  =  Tytthonyx flavofemoralis (Pic, 1955), n. comb. The following species are new additions to the Peruvian fauna: Peltariosilis scutulata Wittmer, 1952, Chauliognathus atricolor Pic, 1912, C. binotaticollis Pic, 1912, Daiphron longulum Pic, 1919, and Psilorhynchus bifasciatus Blanchard, 1844.

This paper represents the first survey of the Meloidae Gyllenhal, 1810 (Coleoptera) of Peru. All three recognized subfamilies (Eleticinae, Nemognathinae, Meloinae) and seven tribes are represented in the Peruvian fauna. Sixty-four named species are recorded in this checklist based primarily on literature and museum records, 41 (64%) of which are possibly endemic. Two species, Tetraonyx chevrolati Haag-Rutenberg and Pyrota vittigera Blanchard, are recorded from Peru for the first time. The status of the taxonomic knowledge of South American Meloidae is also briefly reviewed.