Meetings 2022-23

In-person meetings are suspended for the time being due to covid. We normally meet on the fourth Saturday every month, from September to November and from January to April. One of the meetings is the Quimby F. Hess Annual Lecture -- read more here. For a map of the meeting locations and a description of subway access and parking facilities, click here.

Saturday, September 17, 2022. 1:15 pm - 3:00 pm. By Zoom.
MEMBERS' MEETING

See video of the meeting. Speakers and topics, with the start times for each: Peter Hall, European Common Blue (2:45); Bruce Bolin, Rearing Pipevine Swallowtails (17:50); Karen Yukich, 2022 insects first-seen or rarely-seen (23:50); Alan Macnaughton, moths of trips to Owen Sound and Essex County (41:35); Clement Kent, Project Swallowtail in 2022 (48:40); Antonia Guidotti, insect photos from travels this summer (55:40); and Don Davis, monarch tagging and tag recoveries this year (01:04:20).

Saturday, October 22, 2022. 1:15 pm - 3:00 pm. By Zoom.
THE ROLE OF THE BLACK SOLDIER FLY IN A CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Patricia Okpara, University of Windsor

See video of the meeting.

Patricia is a 4th year PhD student working in a plant ecology and entomology lab at the University of Windsor. She is currently exploring the ecology of the black soldier fly and its application in municipal waste management.

Globally, about 1 in 9 people suffer from food insecurity, yet a third of all foods produced globally are wasted. Approximately 3.7 million tonnes of organic food waste in Ontario is generated yearly. More than 55% of this waste is generated by the residential and municipal sectors, and most of it is transported to landfills for composting each year. The use of landfills as a method of waste management is not sustainable. It strains the environment by releasing harmful greenhouse gases and demands landfill space. It is projected that based on the current trends in economic growth, more than 16 landfills will be required by 2050 in Ontario if more progress is not made to reduce the use of landfills for organic waste disposal. Currently, the protocols set by the Ontario government include education tools to support waste prevention strategies, safety guidelines to support the safe donation of excess food, and a province-wide ban on organic waste sent to disposal sites.

While all these are strong protocols, there is a need to address methods that support recovery and converting food waste into valuable end products that could contribute to economic benefits (i.e., a circular economy). The black soldier fly is currently being investigated as a waste management alternative in several European countries and the United States. My research aims to broaden our understanding of the black soldier fly's biology and its role in the concept of a circular economy.

Saturday, November 19, 2022. 1:15 pm - 3:00 pm. By Zoom.
UNDERSTANDING THE INFLUENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND NON-NATIVE SPECIES ON BUTTERFLIES
Heather Kharouba, University of Ottawa

See video of the meeting.

Climate change has led to widespread shifts in the timing of key life history events between interacting species with cascading negative impacts on species fitness (phenological mismatch). Yet, it remains difficult to discriminate between systems where phenological mismatches are likely to occur or not. We are evaluating where and when we expect mismatch with climate change.

Understanding the factors that determine species’ range limits is key for accurately predicting how species will shift their ranges in response to changing climates. Despite this, we still do not understand how climate constrains species’ range limits. Through a combination of lab and field experiments, and ecological modeling on different Lepidoptera species, my lab is testing hypotheses to better understand the relative importance of various climatic constraints on species geographic limits.

Saturday, January 28, 2023. 1:15 pm - 3:00 pm. By Zoom.
CANADIAN LEAFHOPPERS: NATURAL HISTORY AND DIVERSITY
Joel Kits, Research Scientist for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

See video of the meeting.

Canada is home to over 1000 species of leafhoppers. They are one of the most abundant groups of insects in many habitats, where they feed on a wide range of host plants. However, only a handful of economically important species are well-known. I will discuss some of what we know about the distribution and natural history of Canadian leafhoppers, and discuss how ongoing research, including citizen science, can lead us to a better understanding of this important and fascinating group.

Saturday, February 25, 2023. 1:15 pm - 3:00 pm. By Zoom.
ARE PRINTED ENTOMOLOGY BOOKS AIMED AT A GENERAL AUDIENCE STILL RELEVANT?
Patrice Bouchard, Research Scientist for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

See video of the meeting.

Dr. Bouchard will explore the production and impact of a recent book of his (The Book of Beetles, University of Chicago Press). He will also discuss whether printed books still have a place in an era characterized by electronic communications and short attention spans. He is also the author of a second book to be published next spring. Beetles of the World from Princeton University Press

Saturday, March 25, 2023. 1:00 pm - 3:15 pm. By Zoom.
STUDENT SYMPOSIUM

Ten undergraduate and graduate students at Ontario universities present about their entomological research. Presentations concern dragonflies, lacewings, jackal flies, beetles, armyworm moths, monarch butterflies, ants, bees and bot flies. Monarch butterfly enthusiasts will be particularly interested in the presentation about which milkweed species is best for getting the fall generation to Mexico.

Saturday, April 22, 2023. 1:15 pm - 4:00 pm (tentative). By Zoom.
THE ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION OF EYESPOTS IN CATERPILLARS
Thomas Hossie, Trent University

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Meetings of past years

2021-2022

Saturday, September 25, 2021
MEMBERS' MEETING
See video of the meeting.

Saturday, October 23, 2021
ANTS, SCIENCE AND CITIZEN SCIENCE - WE NEED YOU!
Ehab Abouheif, McGill University
See video of the meeting

Saturday, November 27, 2021
INVISIBLE BIODIVERSITY -- THE HIDDEN WORLD OF MITES BENEATH OUR FEET
Marla Schwarzfeld, Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes
See video of the meeting.

Saturday, January 22, 2022
MISCARRIAGES OF JUSTICE SOLVED BY INSECTS
Gail Anderson, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University

Saturday, February 26, 2022
ONTARIO MOTHS
Chris Schmidt, Research Scientist for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
See video of the meeting.The talk starts at about the 5-minute mark and lasts for an hour. The first part of the talk is mostly about life history strategies of moths. Biogeography of moths in Ontario starts at 38 minutes, and moth mysteries start at 58 minutes. The question period starts at 1:04. Questions include: the value of iNaturalist to his research (1:10); habitats that need more surveying, such as wetlands (1:19); and using light sources to attract moths, including black light fluorescents and LepiLEDs (1:12 and 1:24 to 1:26 -- three questions).

Saturday, March 26, 2022
STUDENT SYMPOSIUM
Speakers: Kelly Murray-Stoker (caddisfly diversity in urban environments); Britney Picinic (mosquito excretion after blood meals); Thomas Hall (weevil and the control of garlic mustard); Zach Balzer (response of termites to carbon dioxide); Sisley Irwin (wilding of urban meadows and diversity); Jinghan Tan (internal biology of mosquitoes); Jocelyn Armistead (bumble bee collection methods); and Jesse Huisken (cooperation in carpenter bees). See agenda and abstracts.

Saturday, April 23, 2022
CLIMATE CHANGE AND INSECT CONSERVATION: DETECTING AND MITIGATING RISKS FROM EXTREME WEATHER
Jeremy Kerr, Department of Biology University of Ottawa
See video of the meeting.

Land use and climate change changes pose extraordinary risks for many species, including many insects, leading to debate over an impending “insect apocalypse”. There should be no debate, however, that extinction rates have risen to levels last seen at the end of the age of the dinosaurs. While the processes and mechanisms that govern how some threats contribute to extinction risk are clear, the "how" and "why" of climate-driven risks remain uncertain. As climate changes, the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events have risen, but could such events affect species' extinction risks? We have developed a new technique to measure those effects, called "thermal position index", drawing on fundamental theories in ecology and evolutionary biology. With rising prevalence of extreme weather, we have found evidence that species' extinction risks have risen, such as among bumblebee species in Europe and North America. By identifying mechanisms that contribute to extinction risk, we might be able to manage risks more effectively. This work has now been validated in analyses of population trends among vertebrates globally. In a warming world, understanding how to mitigate risks for species conservation, including especially insects that commonly have shorter life cycles, could help slow extinction rates.

Saturday, May 28, 2022
HOW TO RAISE MONARCH BUTTERFLIES
Carol Pasternak
See video of the meeting.

2020-2021

The regular meetings for September to November were cancelled due to COVID-19.

Saturday, January 23, 2021
PROJECT SWALLOWTAIL
Clement Kent, York University
See video of the meeting.

Saturday, February 27, 2021
A HODGEPODGE OF HYMENOPTERA: CHECKLISTS OF NORTHERN NORTH AMERICA, ICHNEUMONID NATURAL HISTORY AND A REVIEW OF THE AQUATIC WASPS OF THE WORLD
Andrew Bennett, Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes, Agriculture Canada
See the speaker's slides (pdf).

Saturday, March 27, 2021. 1 pm - 3:15 pm. By Zoom.
STUDENT SYMPOSIUM
Speakers: Alvaro De la Mora (Breeding program for Varroa mite resistance in Ontario honey bee populations);  Farwa Sajadi (To pee or not to pee: how do female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes regulate anti-diuresis?); Kate Lindsay  (A revision of the genus Scipopus: Solving the Scipopus problem); Jocelyn Armistead  ( Evaluating methods used in Canadian bumble bee status assessments);  Matt J. Muzzatti  (Farming fecund crickets: fruitful female fertility after feeding crickets royal jelly);   Sydney Gram (Mushroom-associated insects: diversity and host preferences); Sara Khan  (Why do caterpillars go "buzz"? Exploring the roles of vibratory communication in social Drepana arcuata larvae); and Shu Han (Julie) Gan (The effect of soil sand content on earthworm seed digestion and seed coat damage). See Agenda and Abstracts. See video of the whole meeting,

Saturday, April 24, 2021
NATURAL HISTORY 2.0
Morgan Jackson (McGill University)
See video of the meeting.

2019-2020

Saturday, September 22, 2019
MEMBERS' MEETING

Saturday, October 26, 2019
TORONTO'S TALE OF TWO BEETLES: AN ODYSSEY IN URBAN FOREST INVASION
Sandy Smith, University of Toronto

Saturday, November 23, 2019
TICKS AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES IN A CHANGING WORLD (Ninth Annual Quimby F. Hess Lecture)
Nicholas Ogden, Public Health Agency of Canada

Saturday, January 25, 2020
WHY DO BEES LIVE IN GROUPS?
Miriam Richards, Brock University

Saturday, February 29, 2020.
FABULOUS FLOWER FLIES
Michelle Locke and Jeff Skevington, Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada -- Ottawa

The regular meetings for March and April were cancelled due to COVID-19.

Saturday, November 23, 2019. 1:30 pm - 2:45 pm. Ninth Annual Quimby F. Hess Lecture. Royal Ontario Museum Theatre.
TICKS AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES IN A CHANGING WORLD
Nicholas Ogden, Public Health Agency of Canada

This event is free but you must pre-register on the ROM website. Under "Buy Tickets," choose "Public (RSVP Only): Free” (unless you have a ROM membership). A reception for TEA members and the Hess family will follow the lecture. Enter through the President's Choice School Entrance (group entrance), which is at the back of the ROM along Queen's Park. Please note that registering for this lecture does not grant you entry into museum galleries.

Discover the world of ticks with entomologist Nicholas Ogden, as he discusses their importance as blood-sucking parasites. Explore how environmental changes may affect the global distributions of these enigmatic creatures and the diseases they spread, and what this means for public health in Canada.

Dr. Nick Ogden is a UK-trained veterinarian (University of Liverpool, 1983). After 10 years of mixed clinical practice, he then completed a doctorate in Lyme disease ecology at the Department of Zoology, University of Oxford in 1996. During the six years he spent as a lecturer at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool, he continued his research of tick-borne diseases of public health importance in Europe and those of importance to livestock production in Africa. In 2002 Dr. Ogden moved to Canada, where he continues his research on Lyme disease at the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Quimby F. Hess was a TEA president and a member of the TEA for over 40 years. This lecture is sponsored in his memory by his children Jane and Robert Hess and their respective spouses Laura and John. The public are invited.

2018-2019

Saturday, September 22, 2018
MEMBERS' MEETING

Saturday, October 27, 2018
BEES OF THE WORLD'S DRIEST DESERT
Laurence Packer, York University

Saturday, December 1, 2018
ARACHNOPHOBES TO ARACHNOPHILES: FRIENDLY SPIDERS IN YOUR HOUSE, GARDENS AND PARKS (Eighth Annual Quimby F. Hess Lecture)
Christopher Buddle, McGill University

Saturday, January 26, 2019
THE URBAN MOSAIC: IMPACTS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR BEE CONSERVATION AND RESEARCH
Charlotte de Keyzer, University of Toronto

Saturday, February 23, 2019
TERMITES IN TORONTO: THE SOCIAL BIOLOGY OF AN INVASIVE, HOME-WRECKING INSECT
Graham Thompson, Western University

Saturday, March 23, 2019
STUDENT SYMPOSIUM

Saturday, April 13, 2019
TEA BUG-REARING DAY

2017-2018

Saturday, September 23, 2017
MEMBERS' MEETING

Saturday, October 28, 2017
TORONTO'S SYMPHONY ORTHOPTERA
Steve Paiero, University of Guelph

Saturday, November 25, 2017
INSECTS AT THE TORONTO ZOO

Saturday, December 2, 2017
MAKING INSECTS: A GUIDE TO RESTORING THE LITTLE THINGS THAT RUN THE WORLD (Seventh Annual Quimby F. Hess Lecture)
Douglas Tallamy

Saturday, January 27, 2018
PROTECTING AND RECOVERING BUTTERFLY SPECIES AT RISK IN ONTARIO
Jessica Linton

Saturday, February 24, 2018
EVOLUTION OF BLOOD-FEEDING BEHAVIOUR IN BLACK FLIES
Mateus Pepinelli

Saturday, March 24, 2018
STUDENT SYMPOSIUM

Sunday, April 21, 2018
TEA BUG-REARING DAY

2016-2017

Saturday, September 24, 2016
MEMBERS' MEETING

Saturday, October 22, 2016
THE FOSSILS OF AQUATIC INSECTS TELL US LOTS OF THINGS
Roberto Quinlan, York University

Saturday, November 19, 2016
HOW IT TAKES HONEY TO MAKE A HONEY BEE (Sixth Annual Quimby F. Hess Lecture)
May Berenbaum, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Saturday, January 21, 2017
MY ADVENTURES TRAPPING INSECTS: Stomoxys calcitrans (Diptera: Muscidae) in south central Ontario
David Beresford, Trent University

Saturday, February 25, 2017
BIENNIAL BUTTERFLIES: DO 2-YEAR LIFECYCLES AFFECT GENETIC DIFFERENCE
Gard Otis, University of Guelph

Saturday, March 25, 2017
STUDENT SYMPOSIUM

Sunday, April 23, 2017
TEA BUG-REARING DAY

2015-2016

Saturday, September 24, 2016
MEMBERS' MEETING

Saturday, October 24, 2015
LOOKING FOR INSECTS IN ALL THE COLD PLACES
Brent Sinclair, Department of Biology, Western University

Saturday, November 21, 2015
RAP BATTLES AND POP: DISCOVERING THE SECRET SOUNDS OF INSECTS (Fifth Annual Quimby F. Hess Lecture)
Jayne Yack

Saturday, January 23, 2016
A Review of Some Biological Control Programs Against Invasive Plants in Canada and Ontario
William D. McIlveen

Saturday, February 27, 2016
The bird that kicked the wasps' nest: Red-throated Caracaras, social wasps and research in tropical America
Sean McCann, Simon Fraser University

Saturday, March 19, 2016
STUDENT SYMPOSIUM

Saturday, April 16, 2016
TEA BUG-REARING DAY

2014-15

Saturday, September 27, 2014
MEMBERS' MEETING

Saturday, October 25, 2014
THE NEW ROM BUTTERFLY FIELD GUIDE: THE BACKGROUND STORY
Antonia Guidotti and Brad Hubley

Saturday, November 22, 2014
THE IMPORTANCE OF INSECT CONSERVATION (Fourth Annual Quimby F. Hess Lecture)
Georges Brossard

Saturday, January 24, 2015
BLOOD-SUCKING BEASTIES IN A CHANGING CLIMATE
Fiona Hunter

Saturday, February 28, 2015
THE ART OF BUMBLEBEE WATCHING
Sheila Colla

Saturday, March 28, 2015
STUDENT SYMPOSIUM

Saturday, April 25, 2015
TEA BUG-REARING DAY

2013-14

Saturday, September 28, 2013
MEMBERS' MEETING

Saturday, October 19, 2013
DRAGONS AND DAMSELS ON THE FLY: PREDATORS IN THE AIR AND WATER
Beverley Edwards

Saturday, November 16, 2013
MY INORDINATE FONDNESS FOR BEETLES (Third Annual Quimby F. Hess Lecture)
Arthur Evans

Saturday, January 18, 2014
BEDBUGS: POLITICS AND SCIENCE OF THEIR RESURGENCE
Sam Bryks

Saturday, February 22, 2014
MACROPHOTOGRAPHY OF INSECTS
Max Skwarna

Saturday, March 22, 2014
STUDENT SYMPOSIUM

Saturday, April 26, 2014
TEA BUG-REARING DAY

2012-13

Saturday, September 22, 2012
MEMBER'S MEETING

Saturday, October 20, 2012
THE PIPEVINE SWALLOWTAIL: LIFE CYCLE AND ECOLOGY
Xi Wang

Saturday, November 17, 2012
MONARCH CONSERVATION: THE CHALLENGES AHEAD (Second Annual Quimby F. Hess Lecture)
Orley ("Chip") Taylor

Saturday, January 26, 2013
EXPLORING ARCTIC ICHNEUMONID COMMUNITIES WITH THE NORTHERN BIODIVERSITY PROGRAM
Laura Timms

Saturday, February 23, 2013
LEAF-MINING INSECTS
William D. McIlveen

Saturday, March 23, 2013
STUDENT SYMPOSIUM

Saturday, April 27, 2013
SYMPOSIUM ON REARING INSECTS AND SPIDERS
Don Davis, Daniel Pirvulescu, Scott McIvor, Joel Egan, Glenn Richardson, Lydia Attard and Alan Macnaughton

2011-12

Saturday, September 24, 2011
MEMBERS' MEETING

Saturday, October 29, 2011
BEYOND Mantis religiosa: AN OVERVIEW OF THE PRAYING MANTIDS (INSECTA: MANTODEA)
Julio Rivera

Saturday, November 19, 2011
SENTINELS ON THE WING (First Annual Quimby F. Hess Lecture)
Peter Hall

Saturday, January 28, 2012
MONITORING BUTTERFLIES ALONG AN URBAN GRADIENT IN THE REGION OF WATERLOO
Jessica Linton

Saturday, February 25, 2012
FILM "COLLECTING TASKER" / PANEL ABOUT COLLECTING led by Chris Darling

Saturday, March 24, 2012
STUDENT SYMPOSIUM

Saturday, April 28, 2012
PEST ALERT: INVASIVE SPECIES AND ONTARIO AGRICULTURE
Hannah Fraser

2010-11

Saturday, September 25, 2010
MEMBERS' MEETING

Saturday, October 23, 2010
UNCOVERING SPRING MIGRATION PATTERNS OF THE MONARCH
Nathan Miller

Saturday, November 27, 2010
INSECT LIFE CYCLES AND HOW INSECTS COPE WITH WINTER
James Kamstra

Saturday, January 22, 2011
WHAT’S THAT BUG? THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY OF DOMESTIC ARTHROPODS
Antonia Guidotti

Saturday February 26, 2011
CANADIAN JOURNAL of ARTHROPOD IDENTIFICATION - A CATALYST FOR BIODIVERSITY SCIENCE
Dave Cheung

Saturday, March 26, 2011
STUDENT SYMPOSIUM

Saturday, April 16, 2011
POLLINATORS AND POLLINATION: CANADIAN, CONTINENTAL, AND GLOBAL PROBLEMS
Peter Kevan

2009-10

Saturday, September 26, 2009
MEMBERS' MEETING

Saturday, October 24, 2009
BEFRIENDING A NATIVE BEETLE-HUNTING WASP FOR
FUN & PROFIT
Philip Careless

Saturday, November 28, 2009
SPIDERS OF ONTARIO: A GUIDE TO THE COMMON
SPECIES
Tom Mason

Saturday, January 23, 2010
THE EVOLUTIONARY DRAMA IN YOUR BACKYARD – GOLDENROD AND GALLS
Art Weis

Saturday, February 27, 2010
COMPLEX SIGNALS: WHAT DO SPIDERS HAVE TO SAY
Andrew Mason

Saturday, March 27, 2010
STUDENT SYMPOSIUM

Saturday, April 24, 2010
IMPERILED BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION
Adrienne Brewster

2008-09

Saturday September 27, 2008
MEMBERS' MEETING

Saturday, October 25, 2008
MOTHS AT LARGE
Jim des Rivieres

Saturday, November 22, 2008
MUD AND MONARCHS
W.D. McIlveen and Don Davis

Saturday, January 24, 2009
POLLINATOR WATCH
Heather Andrachuk

Saturday February 28, 2009
DRAGONFLIES and DAMSELFLIES of ONTARIO
Colin Jones

Saturday March 28, 2009
STUDENT SYMPOSIUM

Saturday, April 25, 2009
INSECTS OF SE ONTARIO: A PARK NATURALIST’S PERSPECTIVE
David Bree

2007-08

Saturday, September 22, 2007
MEMBERS' MEETING

Saturday, October 25, 2007
JOURNEY INTO THE JUNGLES OF MONTEVERDE, COSTA RICA
Jessica Grealey

Saturday, November 24, 2007
FUNGUS DISEASES OF INSECTS
W.D. McIlveen

Saturday, January 26, 2008
PHOTOGRAPHING INSECTS: TECHNIQUES, TIPS AND SECRETS
Kerry Jarvis

Saturday, February 23, 2008
COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER (CCD) IN HONEYBEES
Ernesto Guzman

Saturday, March 29, 2008
STUDENT SYMPOSIUM

Saturday April 26, 2008
THE DEMISE OF THE GREEN DRAKE MAYFLY: WHAT IT TELLS US ABOUT THE HEALTH OF S. ONTARIO TROUT STREAMS
Henry Frania

2006-07

Saturday, September 23, 2006
MEMBERS' MEETING

Saturday, October 21, 2006
EXTINCTION OF INSECTS
W.D. McIlveen

Saturday, November 25, 2006
VIGNETTES OF INSECTNATURAL HISTORY
Chris Darling

Saturday, January 27, 2007
A LIFELONG INTEREST IN INSECTS
Alan Hanks

Saturday February 24, 2007
THE QUEST FOR SPECIES IDENTIFICATION
Paul Hebert

Saturday, March 24, 2007
STUDENT SYMPOSIUM

Saturday, April 28, 2007
BRINGING INSECTS TO THE PUBLIC
Margaret Pickles

2005-06

Saturday, September 24, 2005 1 PM
MEMBERS' MEETING

Saturday, October 22, 2005 
INSECTS in URBAN ENVIRONMENTS ( we attended the annual meeting of the Entomological Society of Ontario in lieu of having our own meeting)

Saturday, November 26, 2005 
WINGS OF PARADISE BUTTERFLY CONSERVATORY: a behind the scenes look at exhibit curating and butterfly research
Adrienne Kistner-Brewster

Saturday, January 28, 2006 
IT'S GOOD TO BE QUEEN: SOCIAL BEE-HAVIOUR AND THE MYTH OF THE HAPPY SLAVE
Miriam Richards

Saturday, February 25, 2006
THE LONG REACH OF THE GENE: INSECT/ PLANT INTERACTIONS
Marc Johnson

Saturday, March 25, 2006
STUDENT SYMPOSIUM

Saturday, April 22, 2006
PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE: A BIOLOGICAL CONTROL SUCCESS STORY
Jim Corrigan

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