For sustainable organic farming, farmers need non-synthetic pesticides such as baculoviruses for controlling the insect crop pests Pseudoplusia includens (the soybean looper). Pathogenesis and mortality caused by the baculovirus Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrosis virus was quantified in P. includens using a recombinant carrying the lacZ reporter gene (AcMNPV- hsp701acZ). Penultimate instar larvae inoculated orally and intrahemocoelically were permissive to fatal infection (LD₅₀= 50 OB; 20 plaque forming units [pfu]). Insects developed resistance as they progressed through the penultimate instar, which was attenuated when M2R (1 % w/v) was included with inocula. Newly molted fifth instar P. includens inoculated orally with 60 AcMNPV-lacZ/hsp70 OB displayed LACZ signaling in midgut cells 4 hours post inoculation (hpi), tracheal cells 8 hpi, and hemocytes 16 hpi. Flow cytometry studies quantifying viral GP64 expression confirmed hemocyte susceptibility to AcMNPV infection. AcMNPV is an effective control strategy for limiting P. includens crop damage.