ABSTRACT
The cotton boll weevil has been eliminated as a pest in North Carolina through an eradication program begun as a trial in northeastern North Carolina in 1978 and expanded throughout the state in 1983. Elimination of the boll weevil and the resultant reduced insecticide use have resulted in the enhanced biological control of the bollworm complex. Thus, ecological studies of bollworm distribution and stage-specific mortality were warrented as a foundation on which to build an improved bollworm management system. Bollworm action thresholds were reevaluated and extended scouting and insecticide application interval research is underway. Boll weevil eradication has resulted in increased efficiency of insect management on cotton in North Carolina.
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