MARK F. O'OOlEN

NEWSLETTER of the

MICHIGAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY Volume 21 Number 4 November 22 1976

MICHIGAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY TWENTY-SECOND ANNUAL MEETING

The 22nd Annual Meeting of the Michigan Ent­omological Society (incorrectly listed as the 21st in the last Newsletter) was held at the Neithercut woodland in the Wakelin McNeel Na­ture Center, owned by Central Michigan Univer­sity, Clare County, on 18 June. The day-long meeting, attended by 51 persons, was especially memorable because of the variety of interesting papers, and tasty refreshments and sunny skies. The meeting, as in previous years, gave every­one an opportunity to meet old and make new friends and there was plenty of time for 'bug­talk' !

The Governing Board met prior to the formal program and reviewed the membership and the subscriber and financial status of the Society. Nielsen, the Executive Secretary, discussed the inequity of the present Institutional Member­ship class (some high school libraries) indi­cating that these members receive both the Journal and Newsletter, whereas subscribers receive only the Journal at a subscription rate of $10.00 per volume . Motion was ma~e by Husband, seconded by Priest to raise the Insti ­tutional Membership class to $10.00; motion carried.

The Annual Meeting convened at 10:00 AM by President David Gosling (and Editor of the Journal), who welcomed all and introduced Roger Bland, Chairman of the program arrangements, who gave a brief background of the facility and described opportunities for eating, camping and collecting in the area. The morning business meeting, which followed the first part of the formal program, was chaired by Dave Gosling. The Executive Secretary was called on to give the usual 'state-of-the-Society' report, sum­

marizing recent significant events of the Society as follows:

1. Membership is definitely on the increase; 41 new members since the first of the year; now standing at some 460 members;

2. Finances are still good and all bills are paid, and expect to stay in the 'black' dur­ing the remainder of the year;

3. Society assets finally reached $10,000 dur­ing the past year; much of that is, unfortu­nately, tied up in accumulating back issues of the Journal;

4. The Journal, THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST, will be 10 years old in July of this year. Much credit goes to the past editors who had much to do with making this possible and giving the Journal such wide appeal in the entomology world;

5. The Newsletter, is now in its 20th year of publishing and is still the most popular Society publication. As an example, the British Museum recently requested a sub­scription and all back issues!

In addition to the above good news, Nielsen also pointed out some problems with unpaid in­voices (long overdue), lack of interest in pur­chasing back issues by new members and sub­scribers and some dues still in arrears. Also, he urged a need for more assistance from members to help with the various tasks of the Society, i.e., membership committee, preparing member­ship list, fund raising, items for Newsletter and so on. The recent balloting, 38 percent return, resulted in electing DR. A. L. Bratt as

(Continued on page 3)

The NEWSLETTER of the Michigan Entomological Society is published as four numbers yearly, at irregular intervals. Please send all notes, news, new insect records, research requests, season summaries, important dates for the Entomologists' Calendar, other items for the NEWS­LETTER, membership inquiries, dues, etc. to the Executive Secretary, Michigan Entomological Society, Dept. of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824.

The Execu tive Se creta ry 's Page

OFFICERS OF MES FOR 1976-1977

President ...•••.••..•••.••.•. Donald C. Cress President-Elect .••...•••••••.•••••.. Al Bratt Past President •.•.•.••... David C. L. Gosling Executive Secretary .•••••.....• M. C. Nielsen Mernber-at-Large ..•.••...••..•. John A. Witter Mernber-at-Large •....••.•.... Ronald J. Priest Mernber-at-Large .....•••.••...• David A. Evans Journal Editor ••••...•.•• David C. L. Gosling Newsletter Editor ..•..•••.... Louis F. Wilson

{Jjl lll l~,I"'"~NOTICES (~~

WANTED: I am currently conducting studies on the systematics and bionomics of the false ant­like flower beetle genus PediluB Fischer. Any available data relative to larvae as well as adults would be of great value to my research. In this regard, I should be happy to examine any North American (including Mexican) material, larval and adult, determined as well as unde­termined. I would request permission to dissect out the male and female terminal abdominal seg­ments and genitalia where necessary; in such cases these will either be simply pulled out, thus remaining intact, or removed and stored in micro-vials with glycerine which will then be mounted on the pins with the specimens.

Since I am also investigating the bionomics of PediluB, I should be greatful for any field notes, observations, or general comments you may be able to provide, and would welcome cor­respondence along these lines.

Preliminary work has revealed a fascinating paradox: adult males of many species of Pedi­lUB are attracted to and appear to feed upon cantharidin, the vesicant of many blister bee­tles (Meloidae) which is normally regarded as a chemical defense mechanism and potent feeding deterrent. With this unexplained bebavior in mind, I have developed a baiting device which has met with good results in certain areas. I am attempting to distribute the bait to as many areas as possible in order to procure fresh ma­terial for study as well as to learn more about the geographical distributions and bionomics of these interesting animals.

would be happy to forward cantharidin bait to anyone interested in trying out this collect­ing technique. In return, I would ask that all of the material collected be returned to me for determination and extraction of data. Subse­quently, one-half of the material would be re­tained by me and one-half returned to the col­lector.

Correspondence regarding specimen loans and/or cantharidin bait should be addressed to: Daniel K. Young, Dept. of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824.

WANTED: Data on Michigan butterflies, espe­cially new county or state records. Also, wanted are 1976 field summaries for unique lepi­doptera recorded from Zone 5 for use in the Annual Field Summary of THE LEPIDOPTERISTS' SOCIETY. Send all data to M. C. Nielsen, 3415 Overlea Dr., Lansing, MI 48917.

FOR SALE: The Insect Galls of Indiana, by Cook (1905); Mon. Revision of ••• the Order Strepsip­tera, by Pierce (1909); Rev. of the Libelluline GenUs Perithemis, by Ris (1930); Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects, by Banks (1909); Cat. of Nearctic Spiders, by Banks (1910); Syrphidae of Ohio, by Metcalf (1913); Orthoptera of Indiana, by Blatchley (1901); British Lep. Sphingidae, by Tutt (1904); Butter­flies, by Weed (1930); and Lep. of NY, Vol. 2 ~. Geometridae, Sphingidae, etc.), by Forbes (1948). Best offer. Contact M. C. Nielsen, 3415 Overlea Dr., Lansing, MI 48917.

FOR SALE: Lepidoptera specimens, and livestock, including ova, larvae and pupae (in season). Write for complete list of material available. Lepidoptera Livestock Specialist, Carretera Principal 139, Tamaraceite, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Espana

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY: County Maps Lansing-­Specially prepared multicolored publication con­taining the 83 county maps of the State of Mich­igan is now available ... 128 large pages, size 16" XII" ... minutely detailed fine line maps. The book of maps may be obtained for $6 from Bureau of Maps, Mail Stop 30235, Lansing, MI 48909.

WANTED: Sesiidae (=Aegeriidae), world-wide, 2 to 3 of each species. Specimens should be of good quality, carefully papered or mounted, and with data. Will purchase. John Holoyda, 2819 N. Marmora Ave., Chicago, IL 60634.

FOR SALE: 1,500 exotic butterflies, insects, biologicals, 72 page catalog, $1.00. Complete Scientific, P. O. Box 307, Round Lake, IL 60073.

Wk~TED: Specimens of, or information on, the range of Hya l ophora columbi a , the Columbian Silk Moth. Will exchange or buy. Erwin Elsner, 6089 Lincoln Ave., Stevensville, MI 49127.

WANTED: Data on Michigan butterflies for use in a new publication on the butterflies of Michigan. Any doubtful specimens can be for­warded for determination or confirmation. Especially interested in Lycaenidae and Hesperi­idae records. Contact M. C. Nielsen, 3415 Overlea Drive, Lansing, MI, Telephone number: (517) 484-3471.

2

I

(MES ANNUAL MEETING cont. from p. 1)

President-Elect, Dr. David EVans as Governing Board Member-at-Large, and 'Mo' Nielsen as Executive Secretary.

The results of the Governing Board action was reported to the members in attendance. A mail ballot must now be sent to all voting mem­bers before the change, if approved, can be made in the Article IV of the By-Laws.

Editor Gosling briefly reported on the status of the Journal which, unfortunately, has been delayed this year for various reasons. However, he felt that by fall, we should be back on schedule. Manuscripts are still needed for later issues and members were notified to send them to him anytime. Wilson, Editor of the News -letter reported on the need for more news items from ALL members; especially, comments on what members like or don't like about the Newsletter. He also urged more member contributions to the Entomology Notes series, which now numbers nine.

Under new business, John Witter made a motion, seconded by Husband, that the Society award the winner of this year's 4-H entomological project with a year's active membership. The motion carried, but was subsequently amended with a new motion by Cantrall that the Society make this award each year; motion carried unanimous­ly.

Gosling chaired the formal program which in­cluded the following papers:

Elliot, N. C. and W. E. Johnson--Allozymic var­iation and systematics of underwing moths (Genus Catoca"la).

Thier, R. W. and R. S. Zack--Biology of the genus parydra (Diptera: Ephydridae) inhabit ­ing a N.E. Ohio Mud Shore. Kent State Uni­versity.

Zack, R. S., R. W. Thier,and B. A. Foote--The adaptive significance of selective feeding by certain shore flies (Diptera: Ephydridae). Kent State University.

Young, D.--Notes on the false ant-like flower beetles of Michigan (Coleoptera: Pedilidae: Pedilus spp.). Michigan State University.

Montgomery, Michael--Aphid alarm pheromones. Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.

Martinat, P. J.--A new key to the families of Lepidopterous larvae. Michigan State Uni­versity.

Mahar, J.--Prelirninary data on the biology of Pinaaodera p"latiaollis (Lebiini: Carabidae). Michigan State University.

Flynn, D.--Biology and taxonomy of Entylia baa­triana Germar (Homoptera: Membracidae). Michigan State University.

Witter, J. A.--Behvaioral studies on tent cater­pillars in the genus Ma"laaosoma. University of Michigan.

Townes, H. and M.--A collecting trip to northern Newfoundland. University of Michigan.

Husband, R. W.--A nest of Bombus impatiens with more than 800 active bumblebees. Adrian College. 3

Bland, R. G.--Effect of parasites and food plants on a population of Melanoplus femur­rubrum (Orthoptera: Acrididae). Central Michigan University.

Cress, D. C. and E. Lampert--White cutworm Euxoa saandens biology on asparagus. Michi­gan State University.

The highlight of the above program was the interesting and stimulating paper by Dr. Mont­gomery, our invited guest speaker, accompanied with colored slides and film. I'm certain that most of those attending will be more concious of aphids and their unique alarm pheromones! Also, a drawing for books don anted by Entomolog­ical Reprints Specialists, of Los Angeles, and Louis Wilson, during the afternoon coffee break was another successful event and certainly ap­preciated by the lucky winners! The following books were donated: Stoneflies of Illinois by Frison; Mayflies of Illinois by Burks; Entomo­logical techniques by Peterson; Geographic var­iability in Speyeria by Moeck; Butterflies of the Australian Region by D'Abrera; Butterflies of West Malaysia and Singapore (2 Vol.) by Fleming; Swallowtail Butterflies of East Africa by Carcasson; and several copies of Eastern Forest Insects by Baker.

At the conclusion of the formal program, President Gosling presented the Society's gavel to President-Elect Donald Cress, who then became President (1976-1977). He adjourned the meet­ing.

Following the program, an evening of black­lighting and baiting was carried on at the Center. Despite the light rain, many interest­ing nocturnal species were collected, especially at UV. Some members returned the following day to collect and trap insects on the premises. The Society wishes to again express our appre­ciation to Dr. Bland for arranging such a fine meeting and the EMU for allowing the use of their facilities!

ALTERNATE CAPTIONS FOR BUG' EMS ~ 1. Formal session at the Nature cente~~ 2. Dick Fleming keeping an eye on the speaker .

3. Early arrivals in front of the Nature Center.

3. Early arrivals in front of the Nature Center.

4. Don Cress our president getting a few ZZZ's (he works hard you know) .

5. Curiosity seekers observing an ichneumon

6. Margerie Townes and friend in the "bush".

7. Henry Townes with his malaise tra~

8. Bob Husband, lost in the parking lot.

CANDID CAMERA SHOTS DURING THE 1976 ANNUAL MEETING

CANDID CAMERA SHOTS DURING THE 1976 ANNUAL MEETING

VI

ENTOMOLOGICAL TIPS CORRUGATED CARDBOARD FOR PINNING BOTTOMS

The January Newsletter (Vol. 21, No.1) con­tained a very interesting article on homemade insect boxes "Kreature Kontainer for Displaying Insects". The advice given there is good. I have used somewhat similar boxes myself. Cor­rugated cardboard for pinning bottoms in such boxes is cheap and available, but two comments are in order: 1. In grocery stores can often be found softer

corrugated cardboard used for lining the boxes in which glass jars are shipped. This is better for pinning bottoms than the hard­er variety used for the outside box. Two layers of this hold pins much better than one.

2. Corrugated cardboard from gorcery stores is sometimes soiled with salty foodstuffs, and a trace of salt will corrode insect pins. Be careful not to use cardboard that looks a little stained or greasy. Grease on the cardboard usually means also salt, as salt is in margarine, bacon, ham, hot dogs, etc.

by HENRY TOWNES

"Don't let go ... he's a rare one!"

6

HOMEMADE INSECTICIDE For an old-time, nonpolluting, self-destruct­

ing insecticide, dilute one part molasses with 50 parts of water, then spray, squirt, or splash on vegetable plants.

LUMBERJACK LI NGO Lumbermen, as C.B.'ers today, developed a

colorful language all their own. This was especially so during the heyday of American lumbering from 1850 to 1920. The now legendary loggers of that era added over 2500 new words and expressions to the English language, many of which are still in usage today.

For instance, the expression "as easy as fall -ing off a bg" came directly out of the north woods, while the frequently used phrase "come hell or high water" originated on river log drives. Also, lumbermen were the first to use that mythical, all powerful "skyhook."

Lumberjack lingo was a man's language de­veloped in the solitude of the forest.

Lumbermen, because of the nature of their, work, were not a talkative group, so their lan­guage often only used a few words to express what it would take many more words to express in normal English. Therefore, the vocabulary of the logging camp consisted mainly of words that, first, were colorful; second, could be said without overusing the tongue; third, had a clear enough ring to carry easily.

Insects were part of the lumberjack's plight and he developed colorful words for them too. Bluejackets or livestock meant body lice and a jack's hat became a louse cage and his bunk a cootie cage. They knew well the tiny fly that we still call today the no-see-urn. This they said was named by the Indians who said, "I can feel em, but no see um". (Abstracted in part from an article by Leo R. Peurasaari).

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NEW MEMBERS ARTING, CAROLYN, 17693 Milwaukee Rd., Dundee,

MI 48131. 4-H member. BARNEY, ROBERT JOHN, 163 Natural Resources

Bldg., Dept. of Economic Entomology, Urbana, IL 61801. Pest control and collecting of Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae and Sphecidae.

BLAIR, JOHN, P. O. Box 156, Wayne, MI 48184. Lepidoptera.

CRAIN, LAWRENCE J., 163 Natural Resources Bldg., Section of Economic Entomology, Urbana, IL 61801. Pest control, behavior, and collect­ing of Hymenoptera (Sphecidae, Pompilidae, and Parasitoids).

MOLLET, JUDITH A., 163 Natural Resources Bldg., Dept. of Economic Entomology, Champaign, IL 61820. Pest control, collecting, biology and ecology.

ROBERTS, STEPHEN J., 163 Natural Resources Bldg., Section of Economic Entomology, Urbana, IL 61801. Pest control, behavior, biology and ecology of forage crop insects.

HARAMIS, LINN D., Dept . of Biological Sciences, Kent State Univ., Kent, OH 44242.

JOKINEN, DUANE, 631 Forest St., East Lansing, HI 48823. Homoptera, Diptera (Predaceous).

SCHLOEMER, JERRY, Complete Scientific Supplies, Inc., P . O. Box 307, Round Lake, IL 60073. Taxonomy of world exotics.

BRAUN, PATRICIA, Rt. 1, Bryan, OH 43506. stu­dent.

BRIDEN, MARTIN, 619 Lonsdale Ave., Central Falls, RI 02863. Student.

CASSANI, JOHN R., 421 Pine, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858. Diptera, Culicidae, Culicini (mos­quitoes), Chironomidae, and Lepidoptera; aquatic insects, pest control, biology and ecology.

CORNElL, JEFFREY A., 701 Leslie, Lansing, MI 48912.

DAILEY, PATRICK J., Dept. of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green, OH 43403. Student.

DE SWARTE, DAVID H., 8718 W. Carmen Ave., Mil­waukee, WI 53225.

DIEHR, LAWRENCE S., 514 Emmet #19, ¥psilanti, MI 48197. Trichoptera of Michigan.

HARTMAN, CATHERINE, 25903 CR 24W, Elkhart, IN 46514. Rearing Saturniidae.

IADANZA, NICHOLAS E., 2295 W. May st., Apt. B, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858. Aquatic macroinver­tebrates: collecting methods, environmental effects upon distribution.

LANDIG, KURT, 2516 Buckland, Fremont, OH 43420. Student.

LEE, HARRY J., JR., 22646 MacBeth Ave., Fair­view Park, OH 44126. Carabidae, Geotrupes sp.

MEJIA, RODOLFO, 2738 Trimble Rd., Toledo, OH 43613. Acarina.

MITCHELL, LEE E., Dept. of Biology, Bowling Green State Univ., Bowling Green, OH 43403. Diptera: Culicidae, and economic insect pests.

NEWSON, H. D., Ent. Dept., Mich. State Univ., East Lansing, MI 48824. Medical entomology.

PERRY, T. EDWARD, Chagrin River Rd., Gates Mills, OH 44040. Odonata.

SCHEIRING, JOSEPH F., Dept. of Entomology, Mich . State Univ., East Lansing, MI 48824. Ecology of aquatic Diptera, especially Ephydridae and Quantitative ecology, model­ing, and community structure in insects.

SMITH, PETER, 2316 20th St., Wyandotte, MI 48192. Student.

VARGO, RONALD, 121 Roseview Dr., Hubbard, OH 44425. Student.

VOlT, DEBBY L., 745 N. 700 East, Logan, Utah 84321. Student.

WACKER, JEFFREY, 1228 Tucker Rd., Fremont, OH 43420. Student.

INSECTS IN THE NEWS THE TIME MAGAZINE, July 12, 1976, featured a

seven page article on insects entitled "The Bugs Are Coming", complete with colored photo­graphs. The threatening wasp on Time's cover was eye-catching and a switch from their usual COver of national politicians and world leaders. The article sUITmarized man's long struggle with conu'ol of insect pests and gave a brief glimse of what appears to be promising new weapons against these pests: hormones, pheromones, ster­ilization, pest-resistant plants and predators and parasites. The edi·tor concluded with the hope "that man will continue to maintain an un­easy detente with the insect world for centuries to come".

The August, 1976 issues of the NATIONAL GEO­GRAPHIC used as its lead Dr. Fred A. Urquhart's fascinating article "Found at last: the ~10n­arch's Winter Home". The 14 page story was made more interesting with outstanding colored photo­graphs showing the thousands of wintering Mon­archs blanketing evergreen trees on a 20 acre site in Mexico's Sierra Madre Mountains. This discovery climaxed Dr. Urquhart's 40 years of searching for the wintering area for the mil­lions of migrating Monarch's from eastern united States. While Urquhart's party was there, they banded about 10,000 butterflies using distinc­tive pink labels fastened to the forewing costal vein. This discovery was also published in the Journal of The Lepidopterists' Society, Vol. 30, No.3, 22 September 1976.

ADDITION TO INSECT SPECIALISTS DI RECTORY

PROTURA--E. C. Bernard, Dept. of Plant Pathology, Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 . Specimens should be preserved in 95% alcohol, with date, locality, and habitat information (e.g., leaf litter, forest soil, moss on stump).

MICHIGAN COUNTY MAPS Budget limitations make it necessary to limit

county map distribution to individuals to six sheets covering individual counties or parts of counties .

A complete set of county maps is included in the publication "YOUR GUIDE TO FUN IN MICHIGAN", available for $5.95 from: Michigan United Con­servation Clubs, 2101 Wood St., Lansing, MI 48912.

7

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logical Society, in the classification checked below.

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Z Ul Z c::;:) • [NOTE: Membership is on a calendar year basis (Jan.0--l-i I-Dec. 31). Memberships accepted before July 1 shall be­CJ ~ ~ 0 _ fT1"T1 :::x> gin on the preceeding January 1; memberships accepted at a

r-QC fT1 later date shall begin the following January 1 unless the _ Z ZGl _ -i CI':) earlier date is requested and the required dues are paid.]> < 0 zfT1~ c:J I enclose $ (cash, check, or money order).::00 CJler as dues for the calendar year(s) , appropri­mm-i O ~ ate for the class of membership checked above. (PleaseN -< Gl w -< --f

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• Publications: THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST, a journal dealing with all aspects of entomology with em­phasis in the Great Lakes Region, and a quarterly NEWS­LETTER. Student members receive only the NEWSLETTER.

The Michigan Entomological Society, a non-profit or­ganization, derives its sole support from membership dues, contributions, and bequests, all of which are deductible for income tax purposes. ~ MAIL TO: Michigan Entomological Society, Department

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