The last 23 years has involved both major change and subtle fine tuning of strategies taken by the Australian Cotton Industry in managing insecticide resistance in the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera. Early strategies linked chemical use across multiple crops and involved window restrictions focussing on pyrethroids and endosulfan. After 10 years the strategy retained a focus on cotton only, and the LepTon test kit allowed for specifically targeting H. punctigera populations which remained susceptible to pyrethroids. More recently integrated pest management (IPM) practises and the registration of numerous 'soft' chemistries with greater specificity have provided for less restrictive guidelines on chemical use, with beneficial preservation as a tool for minimising spray events and predating resistant survivors considered as part of the strategy.