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COTTON BOLLWORM FACTS |
Identification
The Cotton Bollworm moth has brown forewings with a single dark spot on the wing surrounded by fine dark markings. The hind wings are light brown with a dark border with a light patch in the border. The underside of the forewing has a small black spot and a larger c-shaped mark. and a black spot. The Cotton Bollworm is a serious agricultural pest and has developed resistance to a wide range of insecticides. The adult moths are very similar in appearance to the related Helicoverpa punctigera which has no pale mark in the black border of the hind wing. The caterpillar is pale green with small black dots, becoming darker and developing dark lines running along the body as it matures.
Other Names
Corn Earworm, Tobacco Budworm, Old World Bollworm
Size
adult length 35mm
Food
Helicoverpa is a serious pest of many agricultural crops, including peas, beans, summer grains and cotton. Larvae feed on various parts of plants including leaves, growing tips, buds, flowers, seeds, fruit.
Breeding
Eggs are 0.5mm in diameter and take 2 to 5 days to hatch. Eggs change colour from white to brown, and the black head of the larva can be seen before the egg hatches.
Classification
| Class: | Insecta | | Order: | Lepidoptera | | Family: | Noctuidae | | Genus: | Helicoverpa | | Species: | armigera | | Common Name: | Cotton Bollworm |
Relatives in same Genus
Native Budworm, Heliothis punctigera (H. punctigera)
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