pink bollworm, destructive larva of a moth, Pectinophora gossypiella. Probably of Native American origin, it is a serious pest of cotton in the S United States, chiefly along the Mexican border. The larva feeds on the blossoms, lint, and seeds of cotton and may pupate in the buds. It causes a 20% to 50% crop loss in infested areas. The pink bollworm is classified in the phylum Arthropoda, class Insecta, order Lepidoptera, family Gelechiidae.

bollworm, name for the larvae of two different moths. The pink bollworm is a serious pest of cotton, and the corn earworm, or cotton bollworm, attacks cotton, corn, and other crops.

or cotton bollworm or tomato fruitworm

Moth larva (Heliothis zea, family Noctuidae) that damages corn, tomato, cotton, and other seasonal crops. The smooth, fleshy, green or brown caterpillars feed on corn kernels near the tip of the ear and burrow into tomatoes and cotton bolls. Four or five generations of the pale brown adult moths, with wingspans of 1.3 in. (3.5 cm), are produced annually.

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Any larva of various moth species, including the pink bollworm (family Gelechiidae) and some Heliothis species (family Noctuidae; see corn earworm). Bollworms attack corn, tomatoes, cotton, peas, alfalfa, beans, soybeans, flax, peanuts, and other commercial crops. They can be controlled by natural parasites, early crop planting, trap crops, and insecticides.

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