The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-21
CoTToN'S NEW ENEMY.
THE TERRIBLY DESTRUCTIVE MEX
ICAN COTTON BOIL wEEvIL.

., Eats seed and Boil Both. and Is
More Dangerous Than the Worm.
The EntOmOIOgfst of the AgricuIt-
uraI Department. Deseribes the
Pest-NaturaI History and Habits
Of the WeeviI Found in Mexico ana
Texas.
washington Cor. Rev Orleans Picavune
Tho Mexican cotton boil weevf is
-,,re destructive than the ordinary cotton
worm. because it eats not only the boIs
INT also the seed. Unless the spread of
=, can be checked there is DANCE. that
the cotton Of the south may be seriously
imuaired by the ravages Of this beetle"
This reply was made to an interrogatory
put 10 Dr. L. o. Howard entomologist
cf the agricultural department He
smoke Of the necessity for the adoption of
rigorous measures to prevent the new de-
stroyer from getting a permanent hold
in the cotton region, and called attention
10 the possibility of its being carried
from Texas to other states in unginned
cotton.
The agricultural department has Just
issued a circular prepared by the en-
tomoogist giving all the information OBJ
tanned so far concerning the weevil which
is Of much interest to cotton growers at
81
this time.
This insect is small, grayish weevil.
and measuring a little less than
quarter of an inch in length
which is found in cotton fields through
out the season. puncturing and laying its
eggs in the squares and bolls. The larvae
IS little over three-eighths of
an inch in length when full
grown, live within the buds and hollis
and feed upon their interior substance.
The squares attacked usually drop. but
most of the damaged bolls remain upon
the plant and become stunted or dwarfed,
except late IN the season, when they eth
The species is originally Mexican. and
for many years has been found in the
region around Monclova, in the state of
Coahulla. From 1856 to 1862 it was so
bad in that region that cotton planting
was abandoned. II appeared in the
vicinity of Matamoras some years ago,
crossed the river to Brownsville and
within the last two or three years has
spread north into the country around
San Diego, Alice and Beeville, Tex, and
threatens to spread throughout the cotton
growing regions of Texas, if not to other
In Mexico the insect is known to cot
ton growers as the "picudo," and in
the BroWnsyiue region cotton planters
the fact that this term has been used by
the Brownsville cotton planters some con-
farther north, and many of them have
supposed that the insect is nothing but
a species which has been known for many
years in Texas, and to which this same
popular name of "sharpShOOter' has been
applied. In general. it may be said that
whenever bolls or squars have been
pierced by any insect and wilt in conse-
quence the work is called 'sharpshoeter
work, not only in Texas, but in Louis
cotton belt. While several insects are
engaged in this so-called sharpshooter
work, the most abundant one is
so-ealled "glassy-winged sharpshooter"
(Homalodisca coagulata), belonging to an
entirely different group of insects from
the Mexican cotton boil weevil.
The glassy-winged sharpshooter has
since the cultivation of cotton began.
since it was not originally a cotton in
sect, but fed upon the poplar tree. The
Mexican cotton boil weevil is not only
more dangerous one. 1t is much more
abundant and its attacks upon bolls and
squares are much more serious, since
not only are the bolls punctured with the
beak as the case with the glassy-winged
sharpshooter, but eggs are inserted and
larvae hatch which feed upon the interior
substance.
The natural history of the Mexican cot
gon-boll weavil is as yet imperfectly
known, but so far as can now be judged,
1t is as follows:
When the insects first appear the eggs
are deposited in the squares and bolls,
and the larvae Matched and feed on the
interior substance of the buds and bolls.
The larvae sometimes feeds on the in
terror of the seed, leaving only the SHE'LL
but usually eat seed or fiber indifferently
The larva gradually reaches full growth
having by this time formed a cell of suf-
ficient size to accommodate itself, and in
this it pupateS. The cell is usually formed
next the other wall or pencarp of the
boil so that the weevil, when transformed,
has only to make its way through this
wall to escape. In issuing 1t thus leaves
a small hole in the pericarp, which marks
the cell in the infested lock of the boil
AS many as eleven larvae have been found
in one boil.
Judging from the habits Of the allied
species, Anthonamus signatus, and allow
ing for differences in size and climatic
conditions, the duration of the life cycle
is probably about thirty days
In the newly infested region in Texas
the weevils were first noticed in the cot
ION helds from acout the nnddle OF august
to the last of September; in the newly IN
Tested region of Coahuila, a month earlier;
in the older infested regions of Texas
Brownsville and Coahuila (Hermanas),
dates of their first appearance in newly in
Tested regions have been received as fol-
Corpus Christi (Nueces region). middle
of August; Beeville, last of August and
iirst of September; San Diego, first Of Sep
Nothing is known positively concerning
the number of annual broods, but there
We're probably two broods IN the newly IN
Tested regions, and in the older districts
where the weevils appear in May and
June, there must be four or more broods
At San Juan Alende, Coahuila, two
very small larvae were found in buds,
Nov. 90 and at Alice, Tex, another was
found in a green bud, Dec r. This
seems to indicate very late brood it,
indeed. the broods are at all regular
Egg laying probably goes on at all times
50 that the broods are more or less irreg-
uar.
Food Plants and Habits of Feeding of
the Adult.-The only food plant far
as known is cotton. The adults seem to
feed both ON the buds and bols, and
throughout the season as long as the
weather is warm By means of the
small jaws at the end of its beak the
weevil cuts through the skin of the bud
or boil, making a small hole therein
Specimens were found late as Dec
10 thirty-six miles north of Brownsville.
with their beaks sunk to full length in
half-grown green bolls apparently feed
ahg on the juices within.
Extended inquiry shows that the wee
Wis always remain with the squares
or on the bolls, and never feed on the
leaves, nor are they ever seen on the
latter.
The weevils were found at san Tomas.
,r,~ft Of Ia info ffraur