2016 December 29

   Viewers may have seen the Saanich News, December 28, page A3, where it is reported that this spring there is going to be spraying again of Btk for the supposed presence of

Lymantria dispar (Lep.: Erebidae – Lymantriinae).   [This is so much easier to spell than the English name.  Is it Gypsy or Gipsy?]

  These spraying operations for this mythical moth are always initiated by the same official.  Just the same individual every time.  As far as I know the only place where the Gypsy Moth occurs is in the labs at the Pacific Forestry Centre on Burnside Road.

  The supposed infestation (and where the spraying is to occur) is Elk Lake.

  I believe the spraying for Gypsy Moth is done for political purposes – The U.S. won’t buy our lumber because we haven’t sprayed for Gypsy Moth.  Therefore we must spray for Gypsy Moth, whether it is present or not.

  In the past, the Forestry Center has asked members of the public to report infestations of Gypsy Moth   Doubtless they get lots of reports – from people who wouldn’t know the difference between a Gypsy Moth, a lackey moth ( Malacosoma – “tent caterpillar”), a Fall Webworm, or a hole in the ground.

  The egg masses (which overwinter) should be easy to spot, since they are laid en masse and are covered with a conspicuous layer of yellow silk and scales.  The caterpillars, too, are conspicuous, because they are gregarious and aposomatic.  If there is truly an infestation, they would be hard to miss.  In past years I have searched and searched in the very areas where there was supposed to be an “infestation”.   The caterpillars feed upon almost any broadleaved tree or shrub.

  While one can accept that Btk poses little or no hazard to human health, I take great exception to the statement in the Saanich News that Btk is a natural substance present in soil that does not harm OTHER INSECTS  [my emphasis]  and that it affects only Gypsy Moth caterpillars.   It is in fact equally fatal to any caterpillars that eat leaves. This statement that it doe s not affect other insects is completely false.

Jeremy Tatum

2016 December 20

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I found this caterpillar yesterday on the sidewalk at Pear Street, Saanich.  In the photographs it is sitting on a leaf of red cabbage, which was all I could immediately find to offer it.

2016 December 11

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I’m reverting to the old way of posting Inverts.  I don’t have time to waste trying to figure out how to do it on a new computer!

   There aren’t many invertebrates around just now, so I have had to content myself with photographing just winter moths.  The two below, from my Saanich apartment today, are undoubtedly European Winter Moths Operophtera brumata.

European Winter Moth Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

European Winter Moth Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Sometime early in January I’ll post a summary of 2016 butterfly records from Invertebrate Alert on this site.  I could do it now – but I suppose it’s not impossible (maybe not very likely) for someone to see a butterfly before the end of the year!

2016 December 07

   This is a test posting.  I am trying to work out a new way of posting Invert items.  The picture is not a recent one.  It is an old one of Cucullia montanae, just to see if the new method works.   Jeremy Tatum

2016 December 2

   Today we show some photographs of spiders taken by Thomas Barbin in the Highlands district on November 26.   Thanks to Robb Bennett for the identifications.

Eratigena atrica (Ara.:  Agelenidae)  Thomas Barbin

 Eratigena atrica (Ara.:  Agelenidae)  Thomas Barbin

 Philodromus rufus (Ara.: Philodromidae)  Thomas Barbin

 Philodromus rufus (Ara.: Philodromidae)  Thomas Barbin