THE LIFE HISTORY AND HABITS OF THE PREDACIOUS MIRID HYALIODES HART! KNIGHT ~ K. H. Sanford A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology Macdonald College McGill University Montreal, Quebec April, 1963 ii ACKNOWLEDGFMENTS I wish to thank Dr. E. M. DuPorte, Macdonald College, P. Q., and Dr. A. D. P1ckett, Kent ville, N. S., for the ir guidance and constructive criticism of this work. The help of Mr. F. T. Lord who made many suggestions about the field work, and developed the procedure for ob­ taining pictures of the eggs and active nymphs is greatly appreciated. The technical assistance of Mr. A. T. Lightfoot and Miss N. c. DeWolfe in preparing the photo­ graphie prints and charts is gratefully acknowledged. The assistance and suggestions from various staff members of the Entomology Section, Research Station, Kentville, in obtaining data and preparing the manuscript has been very helpful. The data presented in this thesis were obtained while I was employed by the Canada Depart­ ment of Agriculture, Research Station, Kentville, Nova Scotia. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 II. GENERAL METBODS AND PROCEDURE • • • • • • • • 4 A. EGG STUDIES • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 4 B. LABORATORY INCUBATION AND REARING • • • • 6 III. DESCRIPTION OF EACH STAGE • • • • • • • • • • 8 A. EGG STAGE • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 8 1. RIALIOPES HART! EGG • • • • • • • • • 9 2. EGGS OF OTBER PREDACIOUS MIRIDS • • • 10 a. Atractotomus m!:ll (Meyer) • • • 10 b. Deraeocoris fasc~o1us Knight • • 12 c. Camprlomma v~~basci (Meyer) • • 12 d. Pi1ophorus perplexus D. & G. • 13 e. Piapbnidia pel1ucida Uh1er • • 13 f. B1epharidopterous angu1atus {Fal1.) • • • • • • • • • • • • 14 g. Pbytocoris conspprcatus Knight 14 h. Psa11us spp. • • • • • • • • • • 14 :B. NYMPHAL STAGES • • • • • • • • • • • • • 2'5 1. FIRST INSTAR • • • • • • • • • • • • 31 2. SECOND INSTAR • • • • • • • • • • • 31 3 • THIRD INSTAR • • • • • • • • • • • • 31 4. FOURTH INSTAR • • • • • • • • • • • 32 '). FIFTB INSTAR • • • • • • • • • • • • 32 C. ADULT STAGE ••• • • • • • • • • • • • • 34 iv ~BLE OF CONTENTS IV. LIFE HISTORY • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 37 A. EGGS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 38 1. FIELD • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 38 2. LABORATORY HATCBING • • • • • • • • 39 B. N!MPHS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 4o 1. FIRST INSTAR • • • • • • • • • • • • 42 2. SECOND INSTAR • • • • • • • • • • • 45' 3 • TBIRD INSTAR • • • • • • • • • • • • 45' 4. FOURTB INSTAR • • • • • • • • • • • 46 ;'. FIFTH INSTAR •• • • • • • • • • • 46 C. ADULT • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 46 V. DISTRIBUTION • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 49 A. DISTRIBUTION AND MOVEMENT WITHIN THE APPLE TREE • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 49 1.. EGGS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 49 2. NYMPHAL STAGES • • • • • • • • • • • 5'2 3. ADULTS •••••• • • • • • • • • • 6;' B. OBSERVATIONS ON OTHER HOST PLANTS • • • • 68 VI. STATUS AS A PREDATOR IN APPLE ORCHARDS • • • 70 A. FOOD AND FOOD PREFERENCES • • • • • • • • ?1. 1. FEEDING ~STS •• • • • • • • • • 77 B. VALUE AS A PREDATOR • • • • • • • • • • • 77 1. EUROPEAN RED MITE PANONYCHUS ::!1.00. (KOCH) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 77 v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page a. Preliminary test •••••• 77 b. North Saw1er experiment • • • 85' 2. CODLING MOTH AND BUD MOTH EGGS • • 96 c. INFLUENCE OF SPRAY CHFMICALS ••• • • 100 VII. SUMMARY ••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 110 VIII. BIBLIOGRAPHY • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 113 vi LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1. HPstiodes harti Knight. Frequency a~ rlbution of head capsule Widths of tmmature specimens ••••••• 27 FIGURE 2. Periods of occurrence of each stage of g. hart~ for the years 19??-60 and their relation to full bloom • • 41 FIGURE 3. Seasonal relationship between numbers of g. harti nymphs on the inside and outside regions of apple trees • • • 63 FIGURE 4. Relation between numbers or phyto­ phagous mites in early August and the peak numbers of H. harti the following season • • • • • • • • • • 69 FIGURE ?. Relation between numbers or ,E. Jalm1 eaten per day, body length and pro­ notum width • • • • • • • • • • • • • 76 FIGURE 6. Relation between numbers or H. harti and European red mite, P. uiii, in sulphur, perthane and DDT ~~ed trees • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 79 FIGURE 7. Predator and prey relationships in plots treated vith several fungicides and fungicides plus perthane. North Sawler orchard • • • • • • • • • • • vii LIST OF TABLES Page TABLE 1. Measurements of mirid eggs • • • • • 11 TABLE 2·. Head capsule measurements of ran- domly eollected ~. harti nymphs • • • 28 TABLE 3. Mean measurements and standard errors of the means of antennal segments, pronotum and overall length of n. harti nymphs • • • • • • • • • • • • • 29 TABLE 4. Extent of the occurrence of each stage of some predacious mirids 19?8 and 19?9 • • • • • • • • • • • • • TABLE ?. The mean number of days over which H. harti nymphs of each instar were observed in the field during the years 19?? to 1960 and the duration in each instar of individuals reared in the laboratory • • • • • • • • • • • TABLE 6. The total number and aceumulated per­ centage of n. ~arti eggs in relation to buds from t e tops and bottoms of six trees • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 53 TABLE 7. Numbers of fi. harti eggs on terminal growth from the tops and bottoms of apple trees • • • • • • • • • • • • • • TABLE 8. Numbers of H. huU nymphs taken on banded trees, ~ orchard •••••• TABLE 9. H. harti nymphs. Total number per tree and visual counts per 100 clu­ sters from sprayed trees, Melvin orchard • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 60 TABLE 10. Mean numbers of phytophagous mites and H. hfrti nymphs from the inside and outs de of six apple trees, Melvin orchard, 19?9> ••••••• • • 62 TABLE 11. Numbers of European red mi te, .f. l!l!l!, destroyed per 2~ hour period by n. harti nymphs • • • • • • • • • • • • • 7? viii LIST OF TABLES TABLE 12. Summary of test and adjacent trees in the 19?6 series of DDT, perthane and sulphur treatments •••••• TABLE 13. Per cent red mite and brown mite present in all counts for each year North Sawler orchard plots • • • • 91 TABLE 14. Direct effect of orchard pesticides on ~. harti • • • • • • • • • • • • 102 TABLE 1?. Effects of spray chemicals on predator and parasite populations in Nova Scotia orchards • • • • • • 107 ix LIST OF PLATES PLATE I. Hva11odes harti Knight eggs • • • 16 PLATE II. At~actotomus m!l1 (Meyer) eggs • • 17 PLATE III. Deraeocoris fascio1us Knight eggs 18 PLATE IV. Campylomma verbasci (Meyer) eggs 19 PLATE v. Pilophorus perplexus D. & s. eggs 20 PLATE VI. Diaphpidia pellucida Uh1er eggs 21 PLATE VII. B1epharidopteru§ angplatus (Fal1.) eggs • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 22 PLATE VIII. Phytocoris conspurcatus Knight eggs 23 PLATE IX. Psallus sp. egg • • • • • • • • • • 24 PLATE x. Hyaliodes harti Knight. Five nymphal stages • • • • • • • • • • • 33 PLATE XI. Hy;aliodes harfi Knight. Adult female and ma e • • • • • • • • • • 36 I. INTRODUCTION The annual apple production of the world bas in­ creased immensely during the last two decades and parallelled With this there bas been an increase in the number and complexity of chemical treatments to combat the various pests attacking this fruit. Spraying is now an accepted, though not welcome, practice and it is be­ coming increasingly evident that the desired control can not be attained at this time through the use of chemicals alone. Arthropod pests "resistant" to chemicals have been observed in numerous instances. Suppression of one pest only to allow another to increase is a common re­ sult of disturbing nature's natural balance. Largely for these reasons no chemical bas adequately controlled any pest for a long period of time. These principles were known long before post World War II discoveries of more powerful insecticides but even with these recent Wide spectrum chemicals the insects and related arthropods still survive and cause heavy lasses each year. Entomologists in various parts of the world are be­ coming increasingly aware of the value of natural and biological agents in insect control. There are many examples of biological control in which the controlling agents have been introduced by man. This type of - 2 - cont~ol is very stmilar to controle effected when native biological control agents are manipulated tbrough the selected use of spray chemicals as well as other cultural practices. Apple growers in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia have been utilizing auch an integrated pro­ gram with succesa for the past 15 years. This modified or integrated p~ogram is the result of ecological investigations on the rauna of apple or­ ehards and the determination or the influence or chemieal sprays on the interactions of pesta and benericial arth­ ropods. This study, initiated about 1945 (Pickett !! !!•, 1946), bas been carried on by the staff or the Entomology Section of the Research Station, Canada DepartMent or Agriculture, Kentville, Nova Scotia. As a part or these investigations the writer bas studied the lite histories and habits of the predacious Miridae round on apple trees. This group constitutes a large portion of the total pre­ date~ complex. The p~edacious mirid Hyaliodes harti Knight was the tirst species to be studied in detail because of its tm­ portance as a predato~ of noxioùs orchard inseets. This importance has been 1nd1cated by the observations ot workers in Nova Scotia (Gilliatt, 1935; Lord, 1949;