Studies were conducted at Florence and Blackville, South Carolina to determine the necessity of insecticide use against second-generation Heliothis virescens (F.) infesting cotton, Gossypium hirsutum (L.), during June. Cotton cultivars `DES 119' and `DP 90' were planted on 23 April and 20 May at Florence and 21 May at Blackville under both irrigated and non-irrigated conditions. Cotton cultivars `DES 119' and `DP 90' were planted on 27 April and 24 May at Florence and 4 May and 28 May at Blackville in 1993. Tests were divided into treated and untreated plots during the early season and insect injury to flower buds was simulated by removing 0, 50, and 100% of the flower buds from subplots within the treated plots at intervals of 0, 1, 2, and 3 weeks. After defoliation, plants were mapped. Machine harvested untreated plots in 1992 did not differ significantly with treated plots. Also, cotton cultivar `DES 119' produced higher lint weights at Florence and Blackville under both irrigated and non-irrigated conditions in 1992. Subplots which incurred flower bud removals in 1992 did not differ significantly in maturity, lint weight, or quality from control plots. Machine harvested plots in 1993 showed significant differences between treated and untreated plots in irrigated `DES 119' cotton at Florence and Blackville, contradicting 1992 findings. These preliminary data indicate that the cotton plant has the ability to partially compensate for early season flower bud loss.