Studies were conducted with the obliquebanded leafroller, Choristoneura rosaceana (Harris), and tebufenozide to determine the influence of various factors on the efficacy of this insecticide under field conditions. Larvae were exposed to apple foliage collected from commercial orchards at different intervals after insecticide applications. Mortality of neonates on actively growing (terminal) and mature (spur) foliage 10 d after an airblast sprayer application of tebufenozide was 0 and 35–74%, respectively. Feeding by larvae was also assessed on collected foliage. There was significantly less feeding on tebufenozide-treated foliage than chlorpyrifos- and nontreated foliage (P < 0.05). In the second study, to determine the efficacy of tebufenozide in the absence of larval movement to terminals with sublethal residues, terminal foliage with obliquebanded leafroller larvae was collected from two commercial orchards 24 h after an airblast sprayer application of tebufenozide. After larvae were confined on this terminal foliage in the laboratory for 10 d, mortality was >90%. In the third study, to examine the effects of obliquebanded leafroller movement to foliage with sublethal residues, we designed a laboratory bioassay in which larvae were exposed to foliage treated with tebufenozide and transferred to untreated foliage after various exposure intervals. The higher the concentration of tebufenozide, the less exposure time was necessary to cause high levels of mortality of neonates. The terminal feeding behavior of obliquebanded leafroller larvae, low residues on terminal foliage before the end of the typical 2-wk spray interval, and the length of exposure necessary for high levels of mortality may decrease the effectiveness of tebufenozide for obliquebanded leafroller control.