In 1995 and 1996, field studies were conducted in 0.5 acre plots on the Plant Science Research Farm at Mississippi State University to determine if foliar applications of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), alone or in combination with traditional insecticides, were efficacious for control of tobacco budworm (Heliothis virescens) on cotton at different phenological stages of development. This research was stimulated by the increased use of commercial Bt products on cotton over the past 5 years. A general consensus among consultants that participated in a previous Bt-use-strategy survey was that the addition of Bt to insecticide treatments in June would aid in suppressing tobacco budworm populations below economically damaging levels in July and August. The strategies tested in our experiments included comparisons between automatic spray approaches and a spray-when-needed approach, comparisons between Bt use before and after first bloom, and comparisons of Bt treatments made alone and in combination with traditional insecticides. Results indicated that a few Bt-use-strategies were as efficacious as current recommendations based on traditional insecticides, but were less efficacious or more expensive than current practices.