A study was initiated in Phoenix, Arizona, to discern and quantify the interactions between the pink bollworm and cotton plants. Fruit abundance and the pink bollworm larval population contained within fruits were monitored through time. The following interactions and phenomena were considered: specific ages of fruit preferred by the pink bollworm, characteristics of surviving fruit, pink bollworm-induced fruit abscission, survival of first instar pink bollworms in relation to fruit age attacked, and the effects of pink bollworm feeding on cotton squares. Results of this study indicated that 1) pink bollworms do not significantly affect shed rates of cotton fruits; 2) pink bollworm survival is greatest in older bolls; and 3) older bolls are preferred for pink bollworm attack.
