Helimoth
| This insect is commonly called heliothis. It is one of our worst pests of cotton and many other crops. |
 |
| Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) is a moth of the family Noctuidae, which includes many of the world's worst agricultural pests. It is found in Asia, Africa and the Middle East as well as Australia. The adult moth is harmless, but the female can lay up to 1500 eggs which hatch into larvae that feed on crops. The larvae are hard to kill with insecticides because they have developed resistance. Photo: Neil Forrester |
 |
Helicoverpa punctigera (Wallengren) is a native species, restricted to Australasia. The larvae attack many crops, but they also have many native hosts, such as the daisy shown here. Larvae are hard to distinguish from those of H. armigera, but it is important to do this because H. punctigera is not resistant to insecticides. This species often breeds in large numbers in inland Australia following autumn or winter rainfall which produces host growth. Photo: Peter Gregg |