The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-06-20
some Insects Incorrectly Suspected of
ReinE the Cotton boil WeevIl.

Being the Cotton Boil weevll.
During the last few days quite a
number of insects have been sent to
the writer under the impression on the
part of the sender that the specimen
sent was the Mexican boil weevil. 1t
| Is fortunately true that thus far every
specimen examined here has been some
thing else.
The insect most generally mistaken
| for the Mexican boil weevil is the cow
| pea weevil. This is evidently of wide
| occurrence this season Several weeks
ago 1t created a scare in Coffee Coun-
| ty where, near Enterprise, IL was re-
ported as injuring the young buds when
| cotton was only about two inches high
| Within the past few days 1T has been
sent to me from Lurette, Ala, County
not stately, from Troy. and from Head
land. in Henry or Houston County.
| The cowpea pod weevil sent by E. L.
| from Headland was accompanied by
| squares which had been bored into by
| some insect exactly in the manner of
the cotton boil worm. The writer of
this article doubts whether the injury
| to the squares was really inflicted. by
the weevil. He thinks II the work of
| the cotton boil worm. beginning it's
| depredations on cotton earlier than
usual. This suspicion is strengthened
| by the fact that about the same time
another correspondent at Headland,
| w. F. c., sent in insects and squares
| injured in exactly the same way The
little insects sent by w. F. C. were
fiat backed. soft-bodied creatures, not
4 much larger than gnats, but having
broader, fatter bodies. marked above
with broad transverse or oblique
| bands of gray and brown. These lat
ter greatly resembled the field chinch
bugs, which are so destructive to corn,
small grains. etc. in the North, and
the presence of which in small numbers
| In Alabama lat Auburn, Montgomery
and other localities) the writer called
| attention to in these columns a year or
| two ago.
! However after using chloroform in
\ killing these insects / was not able to
detect the characteristic odor so dis
| tinctive of the field chinch bug, as
! well as of its widely different name
sake that is the terror of housekeep-
ers.
On this doubt the specimens were
forwarded to Washington. 1t should be
! added that the chinch bug of the fields
is not biting or eating insect, capa-
| BILE of such tunneling as these squares
| showed. but a sucking insect, and
hence one which Paris green would
not affect.
The cowpea pod weevil, that is so
widely prevalent this season, was de-
| scribed and discussed in these columns
| a few weeks ago. 1t may be worth re-
peating that this is black weevil, re-
sombling in color and size the corn
| weevil with long snout. and thick bee
| tle-like wings, covered with little de-
pressed black dots. suggesting under
| q magnifying glass smallpox pits. DR..
L. o. Howard OF Washington. and his
experts have studied the occasional
outbreaks of this weevil for several
years. but have not found it a serious
pest of cotton, though an important
| enemy of the cowpea. Heretofore its
attacks on cotton have been only on
| the very young leaf buds and very
young leaf stems. 1t is scarcely prob
able that it could, as rule. attack the
| squares, without this habit being noted
by entomologists before this time. 1t
is very important that a number of
careful observers keep on the lookout
for injuries to the squares and that
when found the insect causing them
he also found, and the injury be not
simply ascribed to any insect that may
chance to make it's home in a tunnel
made by some other creature.
From ]. w. T.. Eufaula, Ala and
from M H, Wetumpka Ala, have
come in the last few days, specimens
of active insects said to be injuring
both the squares and leaves of cotton.
They are nearly half an inch long. or
nearly twice as long as the boil weevil
and entirely different in every respect.
| Ihey nave been forwarded TO wash
ington for Identification.
Several days ago from w. D. D..
Montgomery County, came a solitary
green worm, with several squares tun-
nelled out by it. This worm, though
light in color (and the color of boil
worms is quite variable), is doubtless
the boil worm, the most destructive
insect enemy from which cotton in
Alabama now suffers. The early ap-
| pearance of this worm, the number of
been injury by boil worms. to the
squares, sometimes incorrectly attrib-
uted to the boil weevil. or (also
incorrectly. 1 Think, to other insects
such as those mentioned above, all in
dictate that the boil worm has begun
its ravages earlier than usual and sug-
gest that damage from this source in
July and August and September, when
the insects shall have greatly iricreas-
ed will be especially great.
/ In view of this probability attention
is called to the writer's article on the
boil worm in these columns about two
weeks ago. Again, would urge the
immediate planting of corn in the miss
ing hills in the cotton field so that
succulent roasting ears in late July,
during August and in the first half of
September may attract the moths of the
boil worm to lay their eggs on the
young corn rather than on cotton.
In due time attention will again be
called to the desirability of fighting
the boil worm with Paris green. in
spite of the common impression that it
cannot thus be reached.
]. F. Duggar.