Candidate mating inhibitors for 3 lepidopterous cotton pests were screened out of 90 synthetic pheromone-like compounds, using the electroantennogram recording technique. ( E )- and ( Z )-9-tetradecen-1-ol formate, ( Z,E )-9,12-tetradecadien-1-ol formate and ( Z )-3-dodecen-1-ol formate, were most stimulatory to male Earias insulana Boisduval, ( Z )-9-tetradecen-1-ol formate and ( Z )-11-hexadecenal were most stimulatory to Heliothis armigera (Hübner) and ( Z )-9-tetradecen-1-ol acetate was, next to the natural pheromone ( Z,E )-9,11-tetradecadien-1-ol acetate, most stimulatory to Spodoptera littoralis Boisduval. In field tests ( Z )-9-tetradecen-1-ol formate and ( Z )-9-tetradecen-1-ol acetate, released from virgin female baited traps, were equally effective in inhibiting male capture in all 3 species.