Pink Bollworm (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) on the Southern Plains of Texas and in New Mexico: Distribution; and Eradication of a Remnant Population

Abstract

Abstract Pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), is one of the most economically important insect pests of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., in the world. Losses in the U.S. before widespread use of Bt cotton were estimated at $32 million per year. Eradication programs were initiated in the El Paso/Trans Pecos area of Texas in 2001 and South Central New Mexico in 2002. In 2009, 669 pink bollworm moths were captured in the El Paso/Trans Pecos eradication zone after two consecutive years of no captures. A study in 2010–2011 determined the source might be nearby areas of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico outside of eradication zones. A likely source of pink bollworm moths was identified in southern Midland County. In 2010, 1,438 moths were captured, with 85% trapped in two fields of non-Bt organic cotton. More than 99% were collected within an 8-km radius of that epicenter. Only 0–10 pink bollworms were captured in each of three other areas monitored in 2010. In 2011, no pink bollworm moths wer...