Candidate mating inhibitors for 3 lepidopterous cotton pests were screened out of 90 synthetic pheromone-like compounds, using the electroantennogram recording technique. (E)- and (Z)-9-tetradecen-1-ol formate, (Z,E)-9,12-tetradecadien-1-ol formate and (Z)-3-dodecen-1-ol formate, were most stimulatory to maleEarias insulanaBoisduval, (Z)-9-tetradecen-1-ol formate and (Z)-11-hexadecenal were most stimulatory toHeliothis armigera(Hübner) and (Z)-9-tetradecen-1-ol acetate was, next to the natural pheromone (Z,E)-9,11-tetradecadien-1-ol acetate, most stimulatory toSpodoptera littoralisBoisduval. In field tests (Z)-9-tetradecen-1-ol formate and (Z)-9-tetradecen-1-ol acetate, released from virgin female baited traps, were equally effective in inhibiting male capture in all 3 species.