Gene Kritsky

Saproxylic Hemiptera Habitat Associations

Abstract Understanding the habitat requirements of organisms associated with dead wood is important in order to conserve them in managed forests. Unfortunately, many of the less diverse saproxylic taxa, including Hemiptera, remain largely unstudied. An effort to rear insects from dead wood taken from two forest types (an upland pine-dominated and a bottomland mixed hardwood), three tree species (Liquidambar styraciflua [Sweetgum], Pinus taeda [Loblolly Pine], and Quercus nigra [Water Oak]), and two wood postures (standing snags and fallen logs) in South Carolina produced 435 Hemiptera belonging to eight families and 14 species. The most common (>25 individuals) species were Lyctocoris stalii, Systelloderes inusitatus, Lasiochilus fusculus, Mezira granulata, Calisius contubernalis (a new state record), and Catonia sp. Lyctocoris stalii and Systelloderes inusitatus were almost exclusively captured in the upland and bottomland forest, respectively. Systelloderes inusitatus and Mezira granulata were recovered only from logs. Catonia sp. only emerged from P. taeda logs. Among the less common species, all but two of the 21 specimens of Peritropis saldaeformis were collected from snags. Similarly, all four specimens of Calliodis temnostethoides collected emerged from the crowns of snags. These findings strongly indicate that saproxylic Hemiptera are unevenly distributed among forests, tree species, and wood postures in the southeastern United States. A wide variety of dead wood is clearly necessary to maintain this fauna.

Beekeeping from Antiquity Through the Middle Ages

Beekeeping had its origins in honey hunting-the opportunistic stealing of honey from wild honey bee nests. True beekeeping began when humans started providing artificial cavities within which the bees could build comb for the queen to lay her eggs and the workers could process honey. By 2450 BCE, the Egyptians had developed sophisticated apiculture, and, within two millennia, beekeeping with horizontal hives had spread throughout the Mediterranean. During Europes Middle Ages, honey and wax became important commodities for trade, and beekeeping in skep, log, box, and tree hives flourished to meet the demand. Other species of honey bees contributed to the development and spread of beekeeping in Asia beginning around 300 BCE. Meanwhile, beekeeping evolved independently in Mesoamerica with the stingless bee Melipona beecheii, as documented by archaeological finds and written accounts that survived Spanish conquest.

Bugs in the News

With the approach of the summer, insects have captured headlines throughout the nation. The eastern half of Ohio, southwestern Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, and northwest Virginia will experience the emergence of Brood V of the periodical cicadas. This broods reported history extends back to 1795, as reported by Dr. S.P. Hildreth, who also wrote about the 1812 …

Welcome to the International Congress of Entomology Special Issue of American Entomologist

It was 40 years ago that I attended not only my first ESA national meeting, but my first International Congress of Entomology as well. For a second-year graduate student, it was a heady event. I was presenting my first paper in my newly chosen field, it was my first visit to Washington, D.C., and it was Americas bicentennial. Gerald Ford was president, and a little-known Georgia governor was going to …

Collecting Insects in the Middle Ages

Recently, I had the occasion to go through some medieval illustrated manuscripts and ran across a number of margin illustrations involving the handling of insects. Many of these dealt with bees and beekeeping, including catching swarms in large cloth bags and cutting away comb from skeps, but a few images depicting insect-collecting activities particularly caught my attention. ![Graphic][1] One vignette from a late thirteenth century French manuscript … [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif

What a Difference a Century Makes

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Insects in Winter

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Bee Bole Architecture

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The celebration continues

92 print plus online; institutions,

From the Editor Changes for American Entomologist

122 print or online,