The comparative efficacy of 4 predators against 3 different stages of the cotton bollworm,Heliothis zea(Boddie), or the tobacco budworm,Heliothis virescens(F.), was studied in the laboratory. The species studied wereChrysopa carneaStephens,Geocoris punctipes(Say),Coleomegilla maculata(DeGeer), andPodisus maculiventris(Say). Two of these predators were also evaluated for control of the tobacco budworm on cotton in field cages.Under limited searching requirements,C. maculatawas generally the most efficient predator ofHeliothiseggs and 1st stage larvae. However, when the 1st stage predators were compared,C. carneawas the most efficient predator on 1st instars. Third stage nymphs and adults ofP. maculiventriswere the most efficient predators of the 3rdstage larvae. Under expanded searching requirements,C. carnealarvae were the most efficient of the immature stages of predators onHeliothiseggs and 1st instars. As adults,C. maculatawere the most efficient predators on eggs whileG. punctipeswere the most effective predators on 1st stage larvae. Third instars and adults ofP. maculiventrisconsumed more 3rd instars ofHeliothisthan the other predators studied.Releases ofC. carneaandP. maculiventrisat rates of 100,000/acre in field cages resulted in substantial reductions in the number of tobacco budworm larvae. The reductions effected byC. carneawere more evident in the egg and small larva numbers while the reductions attributed toP. maculiventrisoccurred mainly when the tobacco budworm larvae were larger.