Vial and topical bioassays were conducted on adults and larvae of a laboratory strain of bollworm, Heliothis zea (Boddie), to determine the relationships between the various procedures that describe pyrethroid susceptibility profiles. In bioassays with adults, males and females responded similarly to cypermethrin when applied topically and in a coated vial. The larval vial bioassay was the most sensitive procedure.However, larval vial bioassays differed significantly from adult vial and topical and larval topical bioassays. There was no difference between adult and larval topical bioassays. These results suggest that bollworm moths collected from pheromone traps are a valid source of material for use in predicting overall adult pyrethroid resistance. Additional study is needed to determine the validity of using adult testing to predict larval susceptibility to pyrethroid insecticides.