This presentation will cover theoretical and practical aspects of designing and conducting surveys for detecting incipient populations of exotic pests, including cost-benefit issues, the probabilistic nature of pest detection, and matching survey effort and sensitivity to program goals. Examples from will be drawn from a number of invasive woodborer species to demonstrate that surveying for these pests may be more problematic in general than agricultural species due to such factors as lack of tools (e.g., effective attractants), poor knowledge of the species, and/or large areas of suitable habitat. Alternative tactics and strategies for enhancing the effectiveness of woodborer detection efforts will be proposed.