Some may be more numerous in one area than another and population levels vary from year to year. Predators are more conspicuous than parasites and their importance is generally appreciated more. However, both are important in controlling harmful insect populations. They are dark brown in color, but are sometimes also marked with pink or red. Both nymphs and adults feed on the larvae and adults of most injurious insects except thrips, aphids, and spider mites.
Some assassin bugs are excellent predators of the large bollworm larvae.
The two species of bigeyed bugs found in cotton fields are Geocoris punctipes and Geocoris uliginosus. Both adults and the grayish nymphs feed on bollworm eggs and small larvae, fleahoppers, leafhoppers, aphids, plant bugs, and the eggs and small larvae of various moths. The two species of Nabid that are common in cotton fields are the damsel bug and pale damsel bug. Nabids are slender, brownish bugs that have slender legs and antennae. Nabids feed on fleahoppers, plant bugs, leafhoppers, spider mites, aphids, moth eggs, and small larvae.