Tobacco Budworm, Heliothis virescens
Corn Earworm, Cotton Bollworm, Tomato Fruitworm, Helicoverpa (Heliothis) zea
Host: The bollworm feeds on a variety of hosts (alfalfa, bean, corn, cotton, okra, peanut, pea, sorghum, soybean, strawberry, sweet pepper, sweet potato, tobacco, and tomato) with corn the most important host. The tobacco budworm does't infest corn, but both species are common on cotton and soybeans.
Habitat: Budworm larvae damage bolls and squares by chewing holes into the base of bolls. Moist frass usually accumulates around the base of the boll and is indicative of larval damage. Larvae may also chew shallow gouges in the boll surface, which allows secondary organisms/pathogens to invade. The bollworm damages cotton plants by cutting off terminals which causes multiple branching and delayed maturity. They also damage the cotton plant by eating into the squares, blooms, and bolls. In soybeans the larvae feed on leaves, stems, flowers, pods, and seeds within pods. Feeding may result in foliage, flower, and fruit loss for all host plants.
Description: The forewings of the bollworm are usually light yellowish-olive with a dark spot near the center. Those of the budworm are olive or brownish-olive with three slanted lines across each one. The hind wings of both species are white with a broad, dark brown or brownish-gray border along the outer wing. Larvae of both species are similar in appearance. Newly emerged larvae are yellowish-white with a brown head. As they mature, they develop pale longitudinal stripes and scattered black spots. Color varies from greenish-yellow and reddish-brown or even black. The skin of the tobacco budworm has microscopic spines which are longer and closer to the setae than those of the cotton bollworm.
Control: Please contact your local county extension office for current information.
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