Let me start by saying that my own program would not rank very high on all the points made below, and my objective with this page is not to promote my own program. Moreover, this is an attempt to give prospective graduate students something to think about when choosing where to do their research, with whom as their supervisor, and at what university.

A graduate project should be structured so that it matches your main interests, so what do you want to be doing long-term?

Try to identify the types of research that you enjoy - modeling, laboratory analysis, field work, interaction with growers, regulatory aspects, GIS, behavioral assays, etc. Identify 5-10 and rank them - that will give you and your prospective advisor a good idea about what type of project that fits your profile.

Rank in order : Research, Teaching, Extension, Industry collaboration - as that will also help tailoring the project to your profile.

Compose your research project so that it has both "safe" and more "risky" components. You want to be absolutely sure that you have enough data when you finish, but you should also be brave enough to include some experiments that would give you wonderful data.... if you succeed.

Start writing on day 1. No matter what, you will have to go through many iterations and getting descriptions of experiments, objectives etc on paper is the best way to to ensure that you and your advisor agree on how you should proceed.

On a more personal level, remember that whoever is going to hire you later on will be looking for a certain "person" not an entomologist. In other words, they will be looking at other qualifications in addition to your academic skills. Speaking another language, being active in a local community and showing leadership, being an experienced traveler, being electronically inclined, being good at drawing - these are all very important qualifications that can weigh very heavily in your favor and make you stand out.

Your future career will not only depend upon the quality of your research project, and many graduate students realize that all too late. It is extremely important to create a vast network of contacts while you are in grad school. Attend conferences and scientific meetings, visit other labs/research groups, meet industry representatives, get introduced to members of growers associations - so it is very important to choose a laboratory with active collaboration with: other departments, universities, companies, and associations. One day you may need a letter of recommendation or your job application is being evaluated by people you have already met...

I would strongly advice you to focus your writing effort on manuscripts rather than on a thick thesis - if the department allows it, focus on getting your data into 2-3 publications and let the thesis be a brief literature review and description of your project.