Control of boll weevils and beet armyworms in cotton using air-assisted ground application of insecticides was studied in field and laboratory bioassays, and by insecticide residue analysis with gas chromatography. A Hardi Twin air-assisted ground sprayer was used to apply malathion (1.0 lb/A) and Spod-X LC (100 ml/A). Laboratory bioassays of individual leaves and squares using boll weevils were used to compare applications with and without air assistance. A field bioassay also was conducted by caging boll weevils on individual plants. Bioassays of cotton treated with Spod-X LC were conducted by caging beet armyworm larvae on the undersides of leaves at mid-canopy. In these tests, the effectiveness of angling the air curtain was compared to application with the air oriented straight down. Air assistance did not significantly increase boll weevil mortality in the bioassays of individual leaves. Nor were there differences in malathion residues on leaves at top and mid-canopy. Bioassays of squares, caged plant bioassays, and residue analysis of squares showed enhanced efficacy when air assistance was used. Application with air assistance enhanced beet armyworm mortality. Angling the air curtain forward 30° increased beet armyworm mortality above that of the other treatments in one test and produced numerically higher, though not significant, mortality in another test. Air assistance shows potential for enhancing the control of troublesome cotton pests such as the boll weevil and beet armyworm.