GLOBALLY, FARMERS LOSE ~$470 BILLION IN ANNUAL REVENUE FROM INSECT PESTS WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY GAINING ~$235-$577 BILLION FROM INSECT POLLINATORS. TRADITIONALLY, THESE TWO DISTINCT INSECT GROUPS HAVE BEEN MANAGED SEPARATELY, DESPITE THE FACT THAT PESTS AND POLLINATORS LIKELY INTERACT THROUGH SHARED CROP HOST PLANTS. PEST DAMAGECAN CAUSE PLANTS TO ALLOCATERESOURCESTOWARDS DEFENSE AND AWAY FROM REPRODUCTION, WHICH CAN REDUCETHE SIZE AND QUALITY OF FLOWERS FOR POLLINATORS, RESULTING IN REDUCED POLLINATION AND FRUIT YIELD. THE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF HERBIVORES AND POLLINATORS ARE REFLECTED IN THE SEPARATE USDA STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES TO MITGATE THE SPREAD OF AGRICULTURAL PESTS (2.3) AND ENHANCE CROP PRODUCTIVITY THROUGH CONSERVATION (5.3), YET WE LACK EVIDENCE-BASED ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE TO ADVISE FARMERS ON HOW TOBALANCEPEST MANAGEMENT AND POLLINATION SERVICES SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE RESEARCH PROJECT WILL COMBINE RIGOROUS FIELD SURVEYS AND CUTTING EDGE MOLECULAR ECOLOGY TECHNIQUES TO 1) DETERMINE WHETHER THE DENSITY OF CROP PLANTSOR THE PRESENCE OF INSECT PREDATORS REGULATE THE ABUDANCE OF AND DAMAGE CAUSED BY INSECT PESTS AND 2) DETERMINE HOW PESTS INFLUENCE POLLINATOR FORAGING AND POLLINATION IN A MODEL MELON AGROECOSYSTEM. THIS RESEARCH WILL ADDRESS THE AFRI FARM BILL PRIORITY (1) PLANT HEALTH BY IMPROVING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF LINKS BETWEEN CROP PROTECTION AND POLLINATION SERVICES IN A NATIONALLY CULTIVATED, HIGHLY PEST-TARGETED AND POLLINATOR-DEPENDENT CROP. THE PROJECT WILL ADVANCE SCIENCE BY DEVELOPING NEXT-GENERATION DATA-DRIVEN BIOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES THAT WILL HELP RESOLVE EMERGING AGRICULTURAL CHALLENGES IN THE 21ST CENTURY.