The Panama Canal Zone could be a key conduit for exotic wood boring pests due to the intense exporting and importing in this region. USDA APHIS is working to expand and improve an existing survey program around the Panama Canal to include exotic pests that threaten U.S. agriculture and natural resources. The specific goals of this project were to 1) determine if wood boring pests are entering the Panama Canal Zone Area, 2) refine the methods of surveying for these insects, 3) determine if any exotic species have established, and 4) determine the characteristics of high risk sites or habitats. The species composition found in ethanol, alpha pinene, and 3-component exotic Ips lure traps was compared on each side of the Panama Canal (Colon and Panama City) and between warehouses and shipping ports. A wide scale bark beetle survey has never been conducted in these urban areas of Panama. The Panama Canal Sentinel Survey has allowed information on exotic pests in Panama to be communicated to APHIS personnel with the mutual benefit of instituting mitigation measures to lower the risk of this pathway if exotic wood boring pests were found.