The program involves releasing sterile bollworm moths to prevent the pest from establishing itself there during seasonal movement from infested areas to the south. Preventing the spread of the pink bollworm means saving farmers millions of dollars in crop losses and control costs. In early June, female moths lay 100 to 200 eggs on young cotton bolls. The eggs hatch in about 5 days and develop into larvae the life stage that damages cotton. Their bodies are ivory with pink bands, and their heads are dark.
Adult moths are grayish brown and about the same length.
The larvae bore into the cotton bolls and feed from 10 to 14 days on the seed. One larva eats a whole seed or parts of several seeds. When larvae finish feeding, they either drop to the ground or remain in the seed to pupate. Pupation can also take place under ground trash. Pupae emerge as moths in 8 to 10 days.