The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-10-12
COTTON BOOI. WEEVIL
DEADLY PARASITE ENTERED
THIS COUNTRY IN 1902.

Since TEen It has ADVANCED State ny
State. - South Carolina Will Be
Reached Next.
The cotton Boil Weevil, known to
science as Anthonomus grandis, that
is, Grand Flower-feeder, because he
feeds on the flower of cotton, the
worlds most important textile plant,
entered the United States at Browns
Vile, Texas, in 1892, having wored
up from his original home in Guate-.
mala when cotton fields stretched a
cross Mexico. The insect has long
been resident in Cuba and is proba-
bly, indigenous there.
The Cotton Boil Weevil belongs to
the Snout beetles, family which is
well represented in this country, for
the peach and plum curculio, the pea
curculio, the rice weeyil, the gran
AIRY weevil, the chestnut weevil, the
corn billbug, are all allied to it
cousins so to speak.
In Texas the Cotton Boil WeeVil
found it's hardest task, on account OF
q climate unusually dry and hot in
summer, and subject to sudden Sc
we're changes in winter, accentuated
by lack of cover.
Moreover the natural enemies OF
the insect were disorganizd. Texas
was filled with shooting clubs and
market hunters. There was con-
tinuM bonn bardnent going on from
the Sabine to the Rio Grande. Every
thing that tapped a. wing furnished
a target. Prairie chickens, the mag
uificent pinnated grouse Of the prai-
.ries, were shipped to market in car
loads and at last exterminated for
none exist in Texas today except
few in isolated localities. The saw
ing of this one bird would have saw
ed Texas millions of dollars, for they
are wide rangers and vigorous feed
ers, and were evenly dispersed over
the State.
In 1907, fifteen years after it en-
tered the United States the Boil Wee
vii entered Louisiana, causing loss
of rs per cent to the cotton crop of
the State, which is about the dam
age in the infested portions Of Miss
issippi.
The weeyil has shown no signs OF
dying out, but is as numerous in
Mexico and Texas as it was fifteen
years ago. 1t attacks all kinds of
cotton alike.
Parasites (insects which raise their
young on other insects) have not full
filled the predictions made for them,
but have had no appreciable effect
on The spread Of the Boil Weevil.
An active agent in destroying the
larNa, however, has been the ant
(Solenopss geminata.)
The reason that parasites do so
little in checking the weevil lies in
the weevil'c life history. The eggs
Dis laid in the square or the boil, the
larva "a white grub matches inside
boil or square and puptas ther.
Only the adul form emerges and
grown weevils are not easy for par
site to work on, with their bodies
encased in hard covers.
It has become clearer, with the
field work of each year, that there
was but one final check on the rava-
ges of the Boil Weevil and that check
was the bird host.
No one has ever disputed that birds
eat the insect freely, and investiga-
tions of the Biological Survey show
that 65 species feed on the insect.
In the front rank are swallows of all
kinds, bank swallows, barn swallows,
rough. wing swallows and so on; a
close second. is furnished by night
hawks (bullbats) and chimney swifts
while purple martins (members OF
the swallow family are i,eat de-
strcyers of Boil !iteVils.
no take a simile from the exper-
ience men, We take our food where 1t
may be had easiest, as a general
rule. There are many things we
would sometimes prefer to eat and
would eat those things, except that
time and trouble are required to
have them; so we fall back On the
food furnished by grocers and other
providers.
The bird (and all animals in fact)
pursues the same course. Most birds
must have a certain definite amount
of insect food in order to keep heal
thy, and there are insects more pala-
table to them than are other insects;
but when any particular insect is
abundant and easy to get, provided
birds eat it all, they will take that
insect rather than go afield on the
uncertain chance of finding SOME
other.
The Boil Weevil being everywhere
abundant where found and confined
to fields furnishes this easy food
supply and hence is taken in great
quantities. Moreover most birds
relish the insect and eat it with avi-
dity. Therefore, it is clear that God
has placed in our hands the remedy
with which to stay the pest and a.
vert ruin.
Just today reports fly in from all
parts of South Carolina as to DANA
ges done by the Cotton Leafcater-
Diller (Argillacea alabama) and this