Plant mapping was used to document the on-plant distribution of diapausing pink bollworm larvae by main stem node (MSN) and fruiting position (FP) in late-planted cotton and to estimate numbers of diapausing larvae per acre. Significant numbers of diapausing larvae were recovered on every node and fruit position on the plant, including the first fruiting position of the season (MSN7, FP1). Bolls in first fruiting positions (FP1) accounted for 67.9% (112 of 165) of all diapausing larvae recovered. Overall, 39.6% of all the pink bollworms accounted for (diapausing larvae + exit holes) were in diapause. On average, each plant had 5.5 diapausing larvae and 8.4 boll exit holes, for a total of 13.9 pink bollworm larvae per plant through the season. At 112,340 plants per acre, the 5.5 diapausing larvae per plant translated into 617,870 diapausing larvae per acre! This estimate of diapausing larvae appeared to be superior to a different method that used periodic boll samples with interpolation, which estimated 61,380 diapausing larvae per acre.