ABSTRACT

Automatic “pre-emptive” insecticide applications for boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), control initiated at pinhead square formation and followed by one or two more applications 3–7 d apart is widely practiced in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, but the tactic has been controversial for more than 20 years. Using 0.11-ha experimental field plots, this study demonstrated that three pre-emptive applications of cyfluthrin failed to significantly affect square production, boll weevil reproduction, and cotton lint yield. The reasons for the failure of pre-emptive spraying at pinhead square formation are discussed.