(Heliothis virescens) A caterpillar pest of primarily squares and bolls; a close relative of the corn earworm. It undergoes three to four generations annually and often is the predominant species of the bollworm/budworm complex in June in the northern parts of the cotton belt. Tobacco budworm is controlled well by the Bt trait in transgenic cotton. Mid South populations of tobacco budworms have developed resistance to all major classes of insecticides.