Adult bollworms,Heliothis zeaBoddie, and tobacco budworms,H. virescens(F.) emerging from overwintering populations were difficult to detect when covers were placed over the soil in fields planted the previous year in corn, cotton, soybeans, or tobacco, but later generations were easily detected. Counts of larvae taken weekly in these fields and subsequent identification of the larvae indicated that blacklight traps detected the presence of bollworm moths but not budworm moths.