Insecticide use in cotton has been reduced by the boll weevil eradication program and Bt technology-cotton that provides bollworm control.

Yet insects such as thrips, Lygus or tarnished plant bugs, aphids and stink bugs are still pests in Missouri cotton. They can have a considerable impact. For example, an experiment in Arkansas showed 50% cotton yield losses when tarnished plant bugs were not controlled in untreated check plots.

Pesticides and application rates for controlling cotton insects are available at University of Tennessee and University of Arkansas websites listed below.

• http://utcrops.com/cotton/cotton_insects/InsectBook.htm
• https://www.uaex.uada.edu/publications/mp-144.aspx

ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS. Pesticide recommendations may be specific for a given state.

Please visit the pages shown below for more detailed information about each cotton pest.

Common pests