A study was conducted in Burkina Faso from 1991 to 1994 on the parasitoids associated with the following lepidopterous pests of cotton: Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), Earias spp., Diparopsis waters (Rothschild), Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval), Syllepte derogata (F.) and Anomis flava (F.). Thirty-nine primary parasitoid species and ten secondary parasitoid species were collected. The mean annuel parasitism rates were lower than 20%, except for S. derogata pupae (42.9%). Maximum weekly parasitism rates could be high, with 61.5% recorded for S. derogata pupae and 32.9% for H. armigera larvae. The highest parasitism rates were found for Meteorus laphygmarum Brues (Braconidae) on H. armigera, Xanthopimpla aliena Krieger (Ichneumonidae), Brachymeria olethria (Waterston) and B. citrea (Steffan) (Chalcididae) on S. derogata, Aleiodes dedivus (Szépligeti), Dolichogenidea sp. (Braconidae) and Brachymeria feae Masi on Earias spp., an unidentified Tachinidae on A. flava and Metopius discolor Tosquinet (Ichneumonidae) on S. littoralis. Secondary parasitoids are mainly associated with Apanteles spp. (Braconidae) which parasitize S. derogata larvae. Some species of these secondary parasitoids such as Nesolynx phaeosoma (Waterston), Pedobius amaurocoelus (Waterston) (Eulophidae) and Aphanogmus fijiensis (Ferrière) (Ceraphronidae) may also attack certain Braconidae or Chalcididae that are primary parasitoids of other lepidopterous pests.