Tarnished plant bug (TPB), Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), has traditionally been considered an early season pest in Southeast Arkansas but has become more of a mid-to-late season pest as well. As the pest spectrum continues to change, TPB continues to be a major pest of cotton in Arkansas. Success of the Boll Weevil Eradication Program (BWEP) and the increased usage of Bt cotton have lead to a dramatic decrease in insecticide sprays that often controlled TPB. Removal of that coincidental control has increased the importance of plant bugs in mid-south cotton. As acreage of next-generation Bt cotton increases, and insecticide use declines further, TPB will become more important. The expanded prominence of this pest necessitates continued applied research in the form of insecticide efficacy trials concerning its control.