In recent years, research on the control of agricultural pests through theuse of semiochemicals has increased considerably because of the many advantagesof products developed from natural sources, including the perceptions of thesecompounds as environmentally desirable as well as the real need for newpesticides with novel modes of action. This symposium series book describesvarious aspects of recent research and developments related to the study ofnatural products and semiochemicals in the control of important insect pestsincluding the Formosan termite. These studies detail the isolation,identification, synthesis, structure-activity relationships, and mode of actionof semiochemicals and of other natural products as well as biocontrol agents, asthey apply to the control of agricultural pests such as the Formosan termite.The book also covers the use of biological agents in conjunction withsemiochemicals for pest and weed control. Formulations play a key role in thedevelopment of usable pest control products especially products based onunconventional chemical and biological agents. Successful product developmentbegins with understanding chemical and biological agents. Successful productdevelopment begins with understanding the application environment and continuesthrough formulation, efficacy, data analysis, and finally marketing. Part ofthis book will use the development of formulations to protect a biologicalagent, baculovirus, from degradation by exposure to sunlight as a backdrop toaddress the range of work required to develop a successful product foragriculture.What sets this book apart from other symposium series volumes on pest or weedcontrol is that the entire research and development pathway is presented in anorderly sequence: starting from the observation of pest or weed problem, to thedemonstration of a possible solution, synthesis of semiochemicals, toformulation and field-testing. The reader can grasp the details of how to do hisor her discipline as well as the big overall picture. The book should beespecially valuable to those individuals involved in writing research grantproposals.

Dr. Richard J. Petroski is a research chemist employed at the USDA (Peoria, IL). His research interests are the total synthesis of insect pheromones for use in pest and weed control and the development of new, operationally-convenient, synthetic organic reactions for the purpose of carbon-carbon bond formation.
Dr. Maria Tellez is employed as the Director of Mass Spectrometry for the Inter Science Institute (Inglewood, CA). Dr. Tellez is recognized as an expert on the Formosan termite.
Dr. Robert Behle is employed as a research entomologist at the USDA (Peoria, IL). His primary research interest is in the area of developing and formulating microbial pesticides for use in agriculture.