Stay or move: how Bt‐susceptible Helicoverpa armigera neonates behave on Bt cotton plants

Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae occasionally have been reported to survive at management threshold levels in fields of Bollgard II® cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L. (Malvaceae). The pattern and degree of larval survival is not easily predicted but depends on the ability of first instars to establish on host plants. Experiments were conducted with Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt)‐susceptible and Bt‐resistant larvae of H. armigera to understand how physiologically Bt‐susceptible H. armigera survive on Bt cotton plants, and examine how their first meal influences survival rates. In assays using cotton plant parts, both strains of larvae displayed similar tendencies to drop‐off specific plant parts of Bt and non‐Bt cotton. However, significantly more Bt‐susceptible larvae dropped off young leaves, mature leaves, and squares of Bt cotton compared to non‐Bt cotton plants. Egg cannibalism significantly improved the survival of Bt‐susceptible H. armigera larvae on Bt cotton plants. Larvae were more likely to eat live aged eggs, than newly laid or dead eggs. Survival significantly improved when larvae cannibalized eggs before feeding on Bt leaves. The behavior of Bt‐susceptible larvae with respect to drop‐off and egg cannibalism may help enhance their survival on Bt cotton plants. Cannibalism may play a significant role in the survival of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)‐susceptible Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae on Bt cotton plants. Egg cannibalism could explain the relatively small, but surprising, number of Bt‐susceptible larvae found surviving in Bt cotton fields. Larvae were more likely to eat live aged eggs, than newly laid or dead eggs. Survival significantly improved when larvae cannibalized eggs before feeding on Bt leaves.