What does bollworm mean?
Bollworm is an agricultural noun referring to the caterpillars of certain moths that feed on cotton bolls and other crop structures. Though the name is used broadly for several pests, it most often denotes the corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea) in the Americas and its close relative H. armigera elsewhere, both of which tunnel into developing cotton bolls, eating seeds and fibers and leaving the plant vulnerable to rot. The related pink bollworm is likewise grouped under this name. Because even a few larvae can destroy multiple bolls, bollworms are among the most economically damaging crop pests worldwide, driving the adoption of resistant Bt cotton varieties and integrated pest management strategies. The word appears chiefly in farming, entomology, and agricultural journalism, and carries strongly negative connotations of crop loss and infestation.
nounThe caterpillar of various moths, notably the corn earworm and the pink bollworm, that feeds on and damages the seed pods (bolls) and fruiting bodies of cotton and other crops.
- The larva (caterpillar) of certain moths, especially Helicoverpa zea or Helicoverpa armigera, that bores into the bolls of cotton and feeds on other crop plants such as maize and tomatoes.
- By extension, any similar caterpillar pest of cotton, most commonly the pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella).
"The farmer sprayed early in the season to keep the bollworm from destroying his cotton crop."
"A single bollworm can ruin several cotton bolls as it tunnels through them."
"Researchers introduced Bt cotton partly to control bollworm damage without heavy pesticide use."
Standard plural formed with -s; used when referring to multiple larvae or to infestations across fields.
"Warm, humid summers often bring waves of bollworms into the cotton fields."
The bollworm isn't one insect but a name shared by several hungry caterpillars that cost cotton growers billions of dollars — and some populations have evolved resistance to nearly every insecticide thrown at them.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bollworm
Bollworm is a straightforward English compound of 'boll' — the rounded seed pod of the cotton or flax plant, a Middle English word of uncertain Germanic origin — and 'worm', long used loosely for insect larvae. The term arose in the agricultural vocabulary of cotton-growing regions, likely in the nineteenth century as commercial cotton cultivation expanded. Its cognates are essentially the components themselves, seen in words like 'boll' and in the parallel compound 'boll weevil'.
How bollworm is actually used
An agricultural and entomological term rather than an everyday word; 'bollworm' without qualification usually refers to Helicoverpa species, while 'pink bollworm' names a distinct pest.
Easily confused with bollworm
The boll weevil is a beetle whose adult snouts and grubs bore into cotton bolls, whereas the bollworm is a moth caterpillar; both are cotton pests but belong to entirely different insect orders.