The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-04-09
THE BOIL WEEVIL PROBLEM
Paper Read By W. D. Hunter Bureau of Entomology u S. Depart
ment of Agriculture

States in the vicinity OF Brownsville.
Tex. about 1892. 1t was investigated
by the Department OF Agriculture IA
1894. and its capacity for damage be-
cmae SO evident that the Department
made the suggestion that it's advance
be checked by establishing Il zone
along the Rio Grande IN which the
cultivation Of cotton should j,e pro-
hibited. a general failure TO reaiize
the seriousness Of the situation was
the reason that no action was taken
at this zine on the recOmm endat yn
Of the Department.
Since 1894 the Weevil has advanced
regularly al the rate OF about fifty
miles Der year. In faEorab BILE seasons
and localities the advance has been
as much as l20 miles. while some
seasons of unfaEorable climatic con
ditionS have shown an actual shrink
age in the infested territory The in
sect has Invaded a region in which
the conditions are entirely unlike
those in its original home and pro-
cess Of ada ptatiOn is under way. In
some cases the adaptation has not
proceeded rar enough to enable the
insects to persist in this country.
This is the explanation OF the Occa-
| SiOnal Setback3 it has received. On
! the whole. however. harder Weeyi1s
are being produced each season, and
| this process viii continue indefinitely.
IN 1903 the boil weeyil crossed the
| Louisiana and in 1907 the invasion OF
the State of Mississippi began. The
| infested territory now covers I'll, ,00o
| square miles. in the States Of Texas
Louisiana. MississippiI Kansas, Okla
hOma. and Alabama 0The Outer Dor
der Of the infested territory forms q
curve. extending from about Mobile
! to Memphis and Little Rock and
! thence. southWesterly to the Mexican
/ border.
How the Boot Weeyii Affects the Cot.
ton Plant.
The boil weeyil is d small beetle
Of incOnSpicuouS appearance. 1t eX-
lists in four stages, namely, eggs. larvs
| or grub, plpa or chrVSaliS, and adult
| The winter is passed in the adul
| stage. the Weevils seeking shelter ir
trash in and about the cotton fields
and in the forests F,mergence from
hibernat ton begins normally in FEB
ruary and continues until about tn.
i first Of July The ga rlinesS with Whic!
the WeeviiS leave hibernating quar-
ters depends upon the amount OF
shelter they have found and the pene
tration Of the sun. AS soon Is emer
: gcnce from Information takes place
! the weevils fly to the cotton and be
gin to feed upon it. II the cotton j
: young and no squares have beer
, formed the WeeVls place themselve
} the plant and feed upon the your;
: tender leaves. If there are square
upon the plant. however. the insect
T go to them and do not modest tn
! leaves The female WeeNil bOres
? ohle into the cotton fruit at the bot
t tom Of which an egs Is deposited
four or five days this egg hatche
s and the larva feeds upon the tissue
Of the square. This results in tn
| alling OF the square to the groun
: in a short time. Later in the season
: when the weeVils become very NJ
: merous in the fields. the bolls ar
t | attacked exactly IS are the square:
= However, the bOlls do not drop t
e the ground but the locks With
: which weevils are found do not de-
n veloD and the remainder OF the LOCK
: fail to develop normal seed and lin
,. Reproduction is very rapid Durin
II the warm months a generation
II produced in less than fifteen day
The possible progeny Of single pa
IS Of weevils during the season is ove
6 12.OOo.OOO individuals.
: 1t will be noted that the weeyil a
Q fectc the cotton plant in manne
: which is very vital rs far as the IL
II terests of the planter are concerne
* That is. ii simply removes the iru
e almost as soon as it is formed. TT
e plants continue 10 grow and TO pi
4 on fruit At the end OF the Sea5O
. magnificent stalk is produced, bi
! its fruit has largely been destroye
q by the insect.
t Damage Caused by The Bolt >Weesi
u 70 estinaate the amount Of -damae
done by the insect is not an easy ma
"a ter. one Of the important conside