Nouvelles
The results of the Eighth Annual ESC Photo Contest have been announced! Judges Kirk Hillier, Kenna MacKenzie, and Rick West faced a difficult task, selecting the winners from among 67 high-quality entries.
The top seven selection will be printed on the cover of all issues of Volume 145 (2013) of The Canadian Entomologist. The photos were chosen primarily for their composition and quality, but judges also tried to spread the winning entries across insect orders, and to have no more than one winning photo per photographer. The final results are:
First Place: Bob Lalonde, « Halictid on fireweed ». A female Agapostemon sp. (Halictidae), foraging on fireweed in June on the UBC Okanagan (Kelowna) campus.
Second Place: Ward Strong, « Stinkbug eggs ». Stinkbug eggs found on the foliage of lodgepole pine, Tappen BC.
Third Place: Julian Dupuis, « Papilio larva on Artemesia ». Larva of Papilio machaon dodi (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae), on Artemesia dracunculus, near Drumheller, AB
Fourth Place: Crystal Ernst, « Stratiomys badia ». An impressive bee mimic, Stratiomys badia (Stratiomyidae) rests in a garden at dusk, in Chesterville, Ontario.
Fifth Place: John McLean, « Honeybee Drone pupae ». Late stage pupae of the honey bee Apis mellifera L. dissected as part of a search for breeding varroa mite (none found). Taken from a hive in the Gisborne area on the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand, March 2012.
Sixth Place: Tim Haye, « Pachycoris klugii nymphs ». Nymphs of Pachycoris klugii on Jatropha cucras tree (Tehuacan, Chiapas, Mexico).
Seventh Place: Christa Rigney, « Dakota Skipper on Yarrow ». A gravid female of the Threatened Dakota skipper, Hesperia dacotae (Skinner) (Hesperiidae) perched on Yarrow, Achillea millefolium (L.) (Asteracea) in a tallgrass prairie northeast of Deleau, Manitoba
A slideshow of all of the beautiful photographs entered in this year’s Competition is now displayed on the ESC Website, here. Congratulations to the winners!!!
If you missed this year’s competition, don’t fret! There is still time to submit your own images to another ESC-sponsored photo contest! ESC (or other regional society) members attending this year’s Joint Annual Meeting in Alberta have until October 30th to get their best shots of the year in to the judges of the 2012 JAM Photo Contest.
Thank you one and all for your participation, and keep those shutters clicking!
In case you missed it, the autumn 2012 issue of the ESC Bulletin has been out for a few weeks!
Here’s a look at some of the highlights: 
- « Dear Buggy » offers some excellent advice on how to tackle the Methods section of your latest manuscript
- Student rep Chandra ponders the lack of official provincial insects in Canada – Quebec being the notable exception
- The 149th ESC JAM is quickly approaching: check out the great lineup of events and symposia
- Read about the achievements of the 2012 ESC Award winners
- Keith Hobson describes how stable isotopes can be used to track insects that migrate; and
- Butterfly range expansions in eastern Canada are explored by Maxim Larrivée and Jeremy Kerr
You can read the entire issue here: ESC Bulletin September 2012
Hi, my name is Holly Caravan and I am a PhD student in Dr. Tom Chapman’s social insect lab at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Currently my work is focused on galling aphids and their potential for antimicrobial activity within the gall. This past summer I visited Dr. Patrick Abbot’s lab at Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN) where I was able to access three species of galling aphids. But, to address the ultimate goal of my research, I want to include the species Pemphigus spyrothecae which produces spiral galls on Lombardy poplar, Populus nigra. This species has a soldier caste which is morphologically specialized, different from the other three species I have already researched. I am looking for any information on locations of this aphid species in Canada; Newfoundland would be ideal, but my hopes are not high! Attached are links with pictures of the host tree and the spiral galls produced by the aphids. Any information would be greatly appreciated! I can be contacted at holly.caravan@gmail.com or hcaravan@mun.ca!
Jacob Coates is an MSc student in the Chapman Entomology Lab at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador.
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Cockroach – Photo by Jacob Coates
If you’ve never thought of visiting Australia, you’re making a terrible mistake. I just recently returned from a 6 month stint in Sydney based out of a Lab in Macquarie University. I carried out lab and field work on several species of gall-inducing thrips. I owe this great trip to the Australian Endeavour’s Awards, An Australian government run program which takes applications from students all over the world and to those lucky enough to be accepted, ships you to an Australian University with a wage, living allowance and travel cash. On top of getting some serious work done I enjoyed snorkeling around the many beaches, hiking in the Blue Mountains, and took part in the City 2 Surf road race where over 80,000 individuals take to the streets of Sydney to run the largest road race in the world.
Southern Queensland Red Road – Photo by Jacob Coates
In early June I completed a field trip into Southern Queensland to collect insect samples. Tenting through the outback presented some difficulties like torrential downpours, cold nights, and very sloppy road conditions (Nearly sinking a 4×4 in a flooded dirt road). Despite the problems, after nearly 2500 kms and 10 days of driving I returned to Sydney with thrips samples in hand and a very dirty truck to clean. Amazing wildlife, epic landscapes and great people await everyone in the outback, without a doubt the best trip of my life.
Jacob Coates
For those interested about the Endeavour’s award go to http://www.deewr.gov.au/International/EndeavourAwards/Pages/Home.aspx It’s well worth your time.
Another close vote for Photo 3 captions, but ultimately Brian Cutting took home top spot and 5 points, while Greg & Colin tied for 2nd and earned 3 points each. We’ll tally up the scores next time at the half-way point, and unveil the prizes, but there’s still plenty of time for you to join in!
With only 3 captions for Photo #4, everyone’s guaranteed points, but it’s up to you to decide who earns the top honours:
[polldaddy poll=6591094]
This week’s photo is a little different, but we’re sure you can dazzle us with your wit! (Rules)
Photo by Morgan Jackson
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