A survey of the opinions of various cotton entomologists and analyses of crop loss reports were conducted to examine the current status of the plant bug complex as a cotton insect pest. The survey included the opinions of researchers, extension specialists, private consultants, and county agents from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Data from the 1979-1984 Beltwide Cotton Insect Conferences on estimated reductions in yield were summarized to study possible relationships between yield loss data attributed to plant bugs and various other arthropod pests. On a Beltwide basis, percentage crop loss due to Lygus spp. was significantly (P<0.05) correlated to percentage crop loss due to Heliothis spp.