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National Invasive Species Information Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Home / Terrestrial Invasives / Terrestrial Invertebrates / Old World Bollworm

Old World Bollworm

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Old world bollwworm, cotton bollworm larva(e)
Old world bollwworm, cotton bollworm; Photo by Paolo Mazzei
Scientific Name: 

Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner, 1809) (Pogue 2004)

Common Name: 

Old World bollworm (OWB), cotton bollworm, African bollworm

Native To: 

Found throughout all of the Old World between 40°N and 40°S (Nibouche et al. 1998)

Date of U.S. Introduction: 

In September 2014, the first U.S. detection of OWB occurred in western Puerto Rico (APHIS 2014)

Means of Introduction: 

Frequently intercepted at U.S. ports of entry on imported cut flowers and herbs (Pogue 2004)

Impact: 

Feeds on a large range of plant hosts and could cause serious economic losses to corn and cotton in the U.S. (Tay et al. 2013)

Current U.S. Distribution: 
Not currently established

Images

Invasive.org - Old World Bollworm
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source. Or, to display all related content view all resources for Old World Bollworm.

Partnership
EPPO Global Database - Helicoverpa armigera

European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization.

Invasive Species Compendium - Helicoverpa armigera
CAB International.
LepIntercept - Helicoverpa armigera

USDA. APHIS. PPQ. CPHST. Identification Technology Program.

Plantwise Technical Factsheet - Cotton Bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera)
CABI. Plantwise Knowledge Bank.
Federal Government
Hungry Pests: The Threat - Old World Bollworm
USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
International Government
A-Z Insect Pests of Field Crops: Helicoverpa

Business Queensland (Australia).

State and Local Government
Pest Alert: Old World Bollworm (Jun 2015) (PDF | 385 KB)

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Division of Plant Industry.

See also: Plant Industry Pest Alerts for more pests
Insects & Pests: Old World Bollworm

Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

Academic
Forecasting Invasion Risks: Factsheets - Old World Bollworm (Feb 2010) (PDF | 1.75 MB)

Michigan State University. Integrated Pest Management Program.

See also: Forecasting Invasion Risks for more factsheets
Professional
Diseases - Cotton Bollworm
CropLife Latin America.

Citations