Outbreaks of native budworm, Helicoverpa punctigera, often arise after egg laying by emigrant moths from distant populations. We would be in a better position to control this pest if (i) we could find genetic differences among populations allowing identification of moth origins, and (ii) if we understood the nature and extent of heritable regional differences for ecologically important traits. Towards this end we looked for genetic differences among moth populations originating from widespread Australian sites.