** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** EAVESDROPPING OF PHEROMONAL CUES IS A COMMON PHENOMENON IN NATURE, BUT NOT BETWEEN HERBIVORES. INVESTIGATING HOW TWO ORGANISMS THAT DO NOT PREY ON EACH OTHER OR COMPETE FOR EAVESDROP WILL EXPAND OUR UNDERSTANDING OF INTERSPECIFIC INTERACTIONS. MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE INSECT HERBIVORES USED TO STUDY THIS NEW PHENOMENON, A. TRISTIS AND A. VITTATUM, ARE BOTH MAJOR AGRICULTURAL PESTS OF CUCURBIT CROPS CAUSING HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN LOST YIELD AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES21, 23. THE RESULTS FROM OUR PROPOSED PROJECT MAY LEAD TO NEW STRATEGIES THAT CAN PREDICT THE BEHAVIOR OF BOTH PESTS, SAVING GROWERS TIME AND MONEY. THERE ARE THREE MAIN GOALS OUTLINED IN THIS PROJECT TO INVESTIGATE EAVESDROPPING BEHAVIOR BETWEEN THESE TWO INSECT HERBIVORE PESTS. THESE GOALS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED USING A COMBINATION OF LAB AND FIELD EXPERIMENTS INCLUDING OLFACTOMETRY (ODOR PREFERENCE CHOICE TESTS) AND PERFORMANCE TESTS THAT MEASURE THE SURVIVAL AND FITNESS OF A. TRISTIS AND A. VITTATUM. THE PROJECT WILL TAKE ABOUT TWO YEARS TO COMPLETE AND WILL DELIVER CLEAR TANGIBLE END PRODUCTS.