Oviposition Patterns, Percent Egg Hatch, and Larval Mortality of Pink Bollworm (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) on Cotton Plants

Laboratory-reared female pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), moths released in field cages containing cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., plants laid most of their eggs on vegetative plant parts from late May through late July. However, some eggs were laid on cotton bolls when they were present on the plants. Numbers of eggs laid increased with increasing plant growth and cotton fruit development. Egg hatch in the laboratory of samples taken from plants in the field cages ranged from 48 to 90%. Based on percentages of egg hatch and larval infestations found in squares and bolls, larval survival ranged from <1 to 18%.