Seasonal nutritional content of honeybee pollen loads collected from five apiaries across the Al-Ahsa oasis, Saudi Arabia, was determined over a period of one year. Botanical composition of the pollen loads was dominated by rapeseed (Brassica napus L.), summer squash (Cucurbita pepo Thunb), date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.), sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). The highest amounts (g/colony) of pollen loads were collected during spring and winter, and the lowest during autumn, and there were seasonal variations in and among nutrient content. The highest values of fructose, crude protein, lipids, and ash content were recorded from pollen loads collected during spring and winter, and the highest values of glucose and moisture content were recorded from pollen loads collected in autumn; pollen loads collected during summer showed the highest values of total and available carbohydrate, and crude fiber content. The high content of fructose, crude protein, lipids, and ash in pollen loads collected during the spring and winter seasons indicate they represent a valuable food supplement.

Industrial hemp was found to support a diverse complex of arthropods in surveys of fields in eastern Colorado. In 2016-2018, surveys of industrial hemp in eight eastern Colorado counties, eighty families of arthropods were collected, primary taxa in the orders Diptera, Coleoptera, and Hemiptera. The arthropods collected from hemp included herbivores, natural enemies, pollen feeders, and incidental species. Hemp cultivars grown for seed and fiber had higher insect species richness compared to hemp grown for cannabidiol (CBD). Species that were observed to cause economic damage included: corn earworm, (Helicoverpa zea Boddie), hemp russet mite (Aculops cannibicola Farkas), cannabis aphid (Phorodon cannabis Passerini), and Eurasian hemp borer (Grapholita delineana Walker). In addition, serious damage to hemp plants was observed by grasshoppers, particularly the twostriped grasshopper, Melanoplus bivittatus Say, and the differential grasshopper, M. differentialis Thomas. This survey serves as the first checklist of arthropods associated with industrial hemp in any area of North America.

Royal jelly (RJ) was harvested after 24, 48, and 72 hrs of grafting to study the effect of harvest time on the yield of RJ/queen cell. The changes in the nutritional components in RJ harvested at different times post-grafting were also studied. The highest yield of RJ/queen cell was harvested after 72 hrs of grafting, while the lowest yield was harvested after 24 hrs of grafting. The lowest moisture content was found in RJ harvested after 72 hrs of grafting. The maximum concentrations of crude protein, ash, fructose, and glucose were found in RJ harvested after 72 hrs of grafting. Conversely, the highest lipid content was obtained from RJ harvested after 24 hrs of grafting. The pH value decreased and acidity increased over time after grafting. It was concluded that RJ can be harvested after 72 hrs of grafting to obtain maximum yield. The nutritional components in RJ may be changed over time after grafting, and it could differentiate between RJ harvested at different times post-grafting.

The need for novel pesticides in agriculture continues to increase, and with it, the need to identify novel phytochemicals with inhibitory properties against lepidopteran pest species. The invasive tree species, Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle (Sapindales: Simaroubaceae), has become well established in North America. However, the impact of its secondary metabolites on lepidopteran pests has not been well established. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of water-soluble secondary metabolites from A. altissima on the life-history aspects of the agricultural pest, Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Laboratory reared S. frugiperda were fed artificial diets with or without water-soluble extract from A. altissima. Extract fed S. frugiperda exhibited delays in time to pupation and emergence in addition to reduced larval and pupal biomass as well as relative growth rates. Reduced food consumption was observed and fewer larvae survived to emergence if fed a diet containing A. altissima extract. Further, these adult moths had reduced biomass and smaller wings compared to larvae fed a control diet. Therefore, we suggest that A. altissima metabolites present in the aqueous extract derived from vegetative tissues have detrimental impacts on life-history aspects of S. frugiperda, and in fact, may represent a source of interesting candidate pesticide metabolites. Further studies will investigate the specific metabolites with feeding deterrent properties present in the water-soluble fraction of A. altissima.

Anthrenus dorsatus Mulsant et Rey 1868 is recorded from the United States for the first time. Species confirmation is achieved through dissection and genitalia examination. Images of A. p. pimpinellae Fabricius 1775 from the United States are examined and compared with confirmed images of A. p. pimpinellae from Europe. It is suggested that specimens from the United States identified as A. p. pimpinellae more likely belong to A. dorsatus. Habitus shapes (body width/body length) of images of United States specimens are too broad for A. p. pimpinellae. In addition, the elytral and ventrite patterns of United States specimens are not consistent with A. p. pimpinellae. To establish which species from the A. pimpinellae complex occur across the United States, dissection and genitalia examination is required

Hemolymph plays important roles in insect physiology. However, mass collection of high-quality hemolymph from insects for use in biochemical characterization is difficult. The present study describes a new method for mass collecting hemolymph from the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. The method facilitates simultaneous collection of large amounts of hemolymph and prevents melanization and contamination. Using this method, we collected approximately 1 mL of hemolymph per 10 crickets in a 15 mL tube with a final protein concentration of 0.47 µg/µL. An MTT test indicated no cytotoxicity in the resulting hemolymph. Thus, this method provides a foundation for studies of new useful biomaterials, insect physiology, and nutrition using insect hemolymph, and can be widely applied to other insect species.

Ants are immensely important predators in terrestrial ecosystems but surprisingly little is reported on their role in bee predation. Here, we describe the ant Pogonomyrmex subnitidus Emery, 1895 foraging at a bee nest aggregation in Utah. Many instances were observed of P. subnitidus, and another ant, Pheidole clydeiGregg, 1950, scavenging on the nests of the recently-described bee Anthophora puebloOrr, 2016, which nests in sandstone. One worker ant of P. subnitidus was also observed taking a live bee larva back to its nest, indicating that the ants occasionally act as predators. The existence of nocturnal foraging in P. subntidus demonstrates greater temporal foraging plasticity than prior reports of bimodal foraging strategy during the day. Potential drivers of this behavior and the relation of these two new ant associates to the bees are discussed.

Epeoloides pilosulus (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) is an exceptionally rare bee of conservation concern. Epeoloides are cleptoparasites of the oil-collecting bees Macropis (Hymenoptera: Melittidae), which specialize on oil-producing species in the genus Lysimachia (Ericales: Primulaceae). We report on the first records of E. pilosulus in Manitoba in 95-years, and only the fifth through eighth specimens for Canada since 1960. Manitoban records of Macropis are also provided.