The occurrence of area-wide outbreaks of beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, are reported for 1986-1995. We examined these outbreaks to deter-mine whether they corresponded to early-season climatic conditions and insecticide applications, including applications made by boll weevil eradication programs. The data show that early-season sprays for aphids (Aphis spp.), plant bugs (Lygus spp. and Pseudatomoscelis seriatus) and boll weevil (Anthonomous grandis) were statistically related with the occurrence of beet armyworm outbreaks. Especially dry years also appear to contribute to beet armyworm outbreaks, and wet weather may alleviate beet armyworm outbreaks caused by early-season insecticide applications.