Certain species of bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) are keystone species, but are also among the most damaging of forest insects. Their pest status has been elevated with the advance of global warming and moderate to severe area-wide droughts. The ecology and chemical ecology of bark beetles have been and still is an exciting area of research, particularly since bark beetles utilize a wide array of semiochemicals in communication and in interactions with plants. Bark beetle chemical ecology is intimately connected and intertwined with behavioral and physiological processes that are still largely unknown in many species. Development of more efficient pest management practices will require a much deeper understanding of the ecology of bark beetles facilitated by interdisciplinary observations and experiments on many levels. Potential topics for this special issue include, but are not limited to:

• Host-tree finding and selection
• Resistance by the tree
• Avoidance of tree defenses
• Insect/tree microbial associations
• Regulation of colonization density
• Ecology of predators and parasitoids
• Communication
• Biosynthesis of semiochemicals
• Behavioral assays and antennal responses
• Population management
• Models of dispersal and trapping
• Reviews

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