AGRICULTURAL INSECT PESTS HAVE DEVASTATING ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMICAL IMPACTS. TO COMBAT THESE CROP PESTS, INTEGRATIVE PEST MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ARE DEVELOPED. HOWEVER, IF TWO INSECT PEST SPECIES HYBRIDIZE, THEY CAN SHARE GENETIC MATERIAL AND OBTAIN NEW ADVANTAGEOUS TRAITS THAT ALLOW ONE OR BOTH SPECIES TO ESCAPE THESE ESTABLISHED MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES. THUS, HYBRIDIZATION BETWEEN INSECT PEST SPECIES MAY EXPLAIN PEST OUTBREAKS AND CONTROL FAILURES. AS A RESULT, EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES REQUIRE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF HYBRIDIZATION IN INSECT PEST POPULATIONS. THE REDHEADED PINE SAWFLY AND WHITE PINE SAWFLY ARE TWO SPECIES OF INSECT PESTS THAT ATTACK COMMERCIALLY IMPORTANT PINE TREES. THEY ARE KNOWN TO HYBRIDIZE OCCASIONALLY IN SOME AREAS WHERE THEY CO-OCCUR. THE GOAL OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO USE NEXT GENERATION SEQUENCING METHODS IN COMBINATION WITH GEOSPATIAL DATA TO EVALUATE THE EXTENT TO WHICH HUMAN MODIFICATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT PROMOTES HYBRIDIZATION BETWEEN THE REDHEADED AND WHITE PINE SAWFLIES. ADDITIONALLY, WE WILL ASSESS WHETHER HYBRIDIZATION CAN INCREASE AN INSECT PEST'S ABILITY TO USE NEW HOST PLANTS. TOGETHER, THESE OBJECTIVES WILL INFORM PEST MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN AREAS WHERE INSECT PESTS HYBRIDIZE. THIS COULD DECREASE OVERRELIANCE ON PESTICIDE USE AND ALLOW US TO BETTER PREDICT AND CONTROL FUTURE INSECT PEST INVASIONS OF AGRICULTURAL CROPS.