Cotton Insect Pests
Pink
Bollworm
Pink Bollworm is not normally found in Mississippi cotton, but a few isolated infestations have been detected in past years, and there is a quarantine against pink bollworm in Mississippi. Therefore it is important to be able to recognize this pest and report any suspected infestations to the Mississippi Department of Agriculture. Larvae of pink bollworm feed in developing and mature bolls, especially on the seed. Full grown larvae are about 1/4 inch in length and are pink in color. Younger larvae of the pink bollworm are white in color, and except for the dark head capsule, are difficult to see in the lint of developing bolls. The small pupa is also commonly found inside mature bolls, or inside seed of ginned cotton.