The species
The cotton bollworm, corn earworm or Old World (African) bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, (also known as the scarce bordered straw in the UK, where it is a migrant) is a moth, the larvae of which feed on a wide range of plants, including many important cultivated crops. It is a major pest in cotton and one of the most polyphagous and cosmopolitan pest species. It should not be confused with the similarly named, related species Helicoverpa zea.
