In 1996 there were about 290,000 acres of cotton planted in South Carolina. Over 40,000 acres were planted to cotton varieties with Bollgard^TM, mostly DPL NuCOTN 33^B, with a smaller acreage of DPL NuCOTN 35^B . At 10 on-farm locations in three Pee Dee Area counties a variety with Bollgard was compared with a similar variety without Bollgard, generally, DPL NuCOTN 33^B and DPL 5415. Fields were scouted on a weekly basis for insect pests and insect damage. The 10 farmers involved in the study treated Bollgard cotton an average of 0.8 times for either bollworm or stinkbugs, while the conventional variety was treated 3.7 times for bollworms. Of the eight treatments applied to Bollgard cotton four were for stinkbugs and four were applied for bollworm. Bollworm numbers reached the economic threshold for damage (5% damaged, must be fully penetrated) on only two occasions in two separate fields. The large larvae threshold (3 larvae greater than 0.25 in. in length) was never reached. Stinkbug numbers never reached the threshold (one per six feet of row). There were no economic problems from plant bugs, or any other secondary insect pest. Beneficial arthropods numbers were slightly greater in Bollgard cotton.