Pink Bollworm Treatment Levels and Pesticide Efficacy Evaluation Based on Egg Infestations

Abstract

Pink bollworm (PBW) moths, eggs, and larvae were monitored in three commercial cotton fields during 1985 to assess the potential for using PBW egg infestations to determine when to spray and for evaluating insecticide efficacy. Based on 1985 data, PBW oviposition patterns provided a more consistent estimate of insecticide efficacy than male moth trap catches. Egg/larval relationships indicated treatments based on egg infestations would have, in many cases, provided a 2 to 4 day advantage over actual treatment dates based on larval infestations.