The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1907-05-29
THE COWPEA-POD WEEV|L.
Resembles Boil Weevil and At
tacks Young Cotton in Spring
Before Peas Are Availa.
bic for Food.
Simple Plan Suggested by State
EntomOlOgist Newell to Min
imize Injury by Them.

coming up or but forming the first
few leaves, is being attacked by small
black beetles. These are the cowpea-
pod weevils. and as they are more
abundant this season than ever be-
fore they are likely to do considerable
damage to the crop and further add
to the obstacles with which the cotton
planter is already confronted in the
making of this years crop.
The means of avoiding damage by
this little pest are. however. exceed
inply simple. and the information
herein contained will enable the planter
to fully protect his crop against
this pest.
The cowpea-pod weevil is a small
black beetle, about the same size as
the boil weevil. The appearance of
the cowpea-pod- weevii upon the young
cotton plants during April and May
often causes great alarm to farmers
who mistake it for the boil weevll,
and as it sometimes feeds upon the
cotton quite voraciously for a few
days, is a pest of some little conse-
uence when exceptionally abundant.
The natural and favorite host plant
of the cowpea-pod weevil is the cow
pea, and when cowpeas are available
it does not attack cotton. The eggs
of this insect are deposited in the pods
of and the little grubs hatch
ing from these eggs develop inside the
pods. emerging in late summer as
adults.
The winter is passed by the adult
c@owpea-pod weevils. alternating IN
much the same manner as Toes the
boil weevil. In spring these adult
cowpea-pod weevils leave their winter
quarters before cowpeas have come
up and. needing subsistence until their
favorlte food plants is provided by
the farmer, turn their attention to the
tender young cotton plants, eating
into the leaves and stems. Their ia
vorite point for attacking the small
cotton plants, appears usually TO be
the main stem. just where the leaves
branch off. A hole eaten into the stem
at this point of course soon causes
the plant to wilt and die down.
Treatment of the cotton plants with
Paris green or other arsenical poison
would be of doubtful efficiency as the
insect, after tearing Off the surface
tissue, feeds on the inner portion OF
the stems where poison could not be
made to reach.
Fortunately, expensive treatments
involving an outlay for p%oisons and
labor, are entirely unnecessary, for
the farmer a save a good stand of
cotton, despite the attacks of these in
sects, by judicious management of the
''choppings''. The attacks of the
cowpea-pod weevil are not long on
tinued and it is very rare indeed that
they destroy over one-half of the
plants.
ChOpping of the cotton should be
delayed until the bulk of the damage
is over, or as nearly to that time as
circumstances will permit, SO that
while the insects ARE at work, their
injury will be distributed among the
great number of plants. After the ex-
tent of the damage is ascertained the
chopping can then be done and enough
healthy plants will by that time have
escaped the insects to permit a good
stand being left. If cotton be chopped
out when the insects are actively at
work on the cotton. their attack would
be but concentrated upon the few
plants left and much danger would
thus be incurred of the entire stand
being destroyed.
When cowpeas appear above ground
the cowpea-pod weevils leave the cot
ton and turn their attention to the
cOwpeas, where they remain for the
balance of the hummer. Although it
is not impossible that this weevil may
in future years increase to such an ex-
tent as to be a serious enemy of cow
peas, its injury to the cowpea
thus far has consisted mainly in re-
ducing the yield of seed: the yield of
hay and forage has not been mate
rally affected.
During mid summer a few cowpea-
pod weevils are occasionally found
on the cotton plants, and doubtless
they now and then puncture a boil or
square for feeding purposes, but sew