THE INDIVIDUALS THAT DISPERSE, REACH A CROP FIRST, AND REPRODUCE EARLY IN INFESTATIONS ARE A NON-RANDOM PORTION OF THE SOURCE POPULATION, BUT HAVE A DISPROPORTIONATELY LARGE IMPACT ON THE GROWTH AND GENETIC COMPOSITION OF THE POPULATION. IT IS THEREFORE CRUCIAL TO UNDERSTAND WHAT CAUSES A SMALL PORTION OF THE POPULATION TO DISPERSE AND, FOR THAT SMALL PORTION, EVALUATE THE TRAITS THEY POSSESS THAT FACILITATE ESTABLISHMENT. I AIM TO DIRECTLY LINK INDIVIDUAL INSECT BEHAVIORS TO LANDSCAPE SCALE DYNAMICS. MY OBJECTIVE IS TO INVESTIGATE POTENTIAL CUES THAT INFLUENCE DISPERSAL, AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF AMONG-INDIVIDUAL VARIATION IN DISPERSAL FOR LIFE HISTORY AND REPRODUCTIVE TRAITS IN DESTINATION POPULATIONS. MY CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT INDIVIDUALS VARY IN THEIR SENSITIVITY TO RESOURCE COMPETITION AS DETECTED BY VIBRATIONS OF FEEDING LARVAE AND INDIVIDUALS THAT DISPERSE HAVE GENETICALLY CORRELATED TRAITS THAT FACILITATE POPULATION EXPANSION. USING THE COWPEA BEAN BEETLE (CALLOSOBRUCHUS MACULATUS), A PEST THAT DAMAGES STORED LEGUME SEEDS, I WILL 1) ASSESS THE EXTENT TO WHICH LARVAL FEEDING VIBRATIONS INDICATE COMPETITOR DENSITY AND FUNCTION AS A CUE FOR DISPERSAL THROUGH RECORDINGS AND PLAYBACK EXPERIMENTS; AND 2) DETERMINE TRAITS THAT ARE GENETICALLY CORRELATED WITH DISPERSAL BY COMPARING POPULATIONS ARTIFICIALLY SELECTED FOR HIGH AND LOW DISPERSAL PROPENSITY. I WILL CONTINUE BUILDING ON THESE IDEAS TO INFORM MANAGEMENT DECISIONS IN NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS AND ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT CROP LANDSCAPES BY ASSESSING THE LINK BETWEEN INDIVIDUALITY IN DISPERSAL AND THE SPREAD OF INSECTICIDE RESISTANCE GENES IN AGRICULTURAL PESTS.