Bollworms and Tobacco Budworms: Mating of Adults at Three Locations in the Mississippi Delta12

Abstract

When adult bollworms, Heliothis zea (Boddie), and tobacco budworms, H. virescens (F.), were collected over a 2-year period in insect traps equipped with blacklight lamps at 3 locations (north, central, and south) in the Mississippi Delta, a high percentage of the bollworm catch at each location was males. A higher percentage of mated females occurred at the locations that had a higher percentage of males. An average of one or more spermatophores per female bollworm usually was found when the monthly collections consisted 55% or more males. Many of the females collected at each location were young unmated moths, but of those that had mated, the larger percentage had mated only and Similarly, the percentage of male tobacco budworm moths and the average number of spermatophores per mated female tobacco budworm moth were highest at the north location and decreased at the more southern locations.