Figure 1. Estimated average cost per acre of controlling cotton insects in Mississippi (from annual Cotton Insect Losses Estimates). These estimates include cost of insecticides, application costs, scouting fees, eradication program fees, and licensing fees for use of Bt cotton. The sharp increase in costs beginning in 1992 is due primarily to the development of high levels of insecticide resistance in tobacco budworm and other cotton pests. Since 1996, a number of new tools have been introduced that provide improved control of pests that are resistant ot older insecticides. However, because these new tools are higher in cost and more target specific, their availability has had relatively little effect on the cost of insect control. Return to Overview of Cotton Insect Management in Mississippi