Winter Survival of Heliothis virescens and Heliothis zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in College Station, Texas1

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Abstract
Prepupae of Heliothis virescens (F.) and H. zea (Boddie) were allowed to burrow into soil and pupate in field plots in College Station, Tex. Survival of these pupae was monitored by excavation of plots during the winters of 1978–79 and 1979–1980 and by spring emergence. Pupal survival based on field plot excavation was low (>10%) for both species during 1978–1979 and for H. zea during 1979–1980. Twenty-four percent of the pupae of H. virescens were still alive on the last excavation date in the spring of 1980. Survival of pupae of H. zea based on spring emergence of adults was 1.0% during both winters, and that of H. virescens was 0.0 and 0.8% during 1978–1979 and 1979–1980, respectively. Spring emergence of adults was consistently higher in subplots elevated ca. 30 cm above the normal soil level than in subplots at the normal soil level. Predicted percent survival based on soil temperatures at a depth of 2.5 cm was much higher than observed percent survival in the field plots. Mean pupal depths were 2.58 and 2.81 cm for H. virescens and H. zea, respectively.