Strip spraying, the technique of applying narrow bands of a moderately persistent pesticide to control active arthropods, is developed and evaluated for the use of malathion against cereal leaf beetle adults. Field and laboratory experiments quantified beetle movement, pesticide degradation on plants, accumulation and degradation of pesticide in the insects, and behavioral and mortality effects from the pesticide.The inclusion of these factors into a model allowed computer simulations of experiments involving a variety of strip configurations, insecticide concentrations and movement rates. A field validation experiment showed strip spraying to be very effective in reducing adult cereal leaf beetle densities and gave results reasonably close to the model predictions. Computer simulations show the most economical means of achieving various levels of mortality while reducing cost and insecticide actually applied.