The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1920-04-24

India is considered as being the
original home of the Pink BOllWorm
From India it spread to Egypt through
impOrtatiOns of cotton seed or imper
fectly ginned cotton which was ship
ped there to be reginned From these
two countries the insect was spread t
many of the other countries in Africa
which grow cotton, and is also found
in China, Japan, Philippine Islands
Hawaiian Islands, Brazil, Mexico anC
portions Of the United States in the
states of Texas and Louisiana.
The first Pink Bollworm found il
the United States was found a.
Hearne, Texas, in September, 1917
This worm was taken in a field neal
an OF mill which had received ship
ments of Mexican cotton seed. In DC.
tober, 1917 specimen was found ir
a field near Beaumont, Texas, neal
an oil mill which also had received
Mexican cotton seed. Later in the
same year infestation Of the Pink
Bollworm was found in Chambers
County around Trinity Bay. From that
time on other infestations have been
found in other sections of Southeast
Texas. The infestation around Trim
ity Bay could not betraced to Gil mills
which had received Texas seed but
is thought by the government to be
due to the washing ashore Of both
seed and baled cotton Originally from
MeXiCO) which at the time Of the 1915
storm was on the Galveston wharves
There is another portion of Texas
known as the Big Bend district 10.
Gated in the western part of the state
which is infested by the worm. This
infestatiOn is undoubtedly due to the
smuggling Of cotton seed across the
Rio Grande river.
1t has not yet been determined just
how the Pink Bollworm gained emit
rance into the State of Louisiana, this
fact however will be determined by
the United State Department of Agri-
culture as quickly as all data is col.
lected relative to importatiOns of seed
etc. At any rate infestati0n of the
Pink Bollw0rm is known to exist ir
the parishes of Cameron, Calcasieu
and Jefferson Davis and for this rea-
son the State of Louisiana declared
a quarantine against the growing Of
cotton within the area and including
the western wards of Vermilion par.
ish, effective February II, 1920. The
number of years which this quarantine
shall last will be governed by the
State and when it is sure that the in
sect has been eradicated the quaran-
tine will be raised.
Life, History and Description of the
Pink SollWorm.
Many people have confused the
name Pink Bollworm with the boil
weevil, and have given it the name
Pink Boil WeeVil." This name is in
correct, for the insect is not a weevi'
at all but in the adult stage is a moth
The boil weevil and the Pink Boil
worm belong to separate and distinct
orders and are very different in many
respects.
AS above stated the adult of the
Pink Bollworm is a moth This moth
is very small and about the size of an
ordinary clothes moth. 1t is dark
brown in color and if examined it will
be found that the hind wings are
broader than the fore wings and end
in a sharp point. The moth is rarely
seen in the cotton fields as it is re-
PEELED by light and has the habit OF
hiding under stones, brush OF leaves
where little light can penetrate. In
my three years experience in this
work in Texas, | have seen only one
moth in the field and this one was
dead and still remaining on the inside
of the boil near the hole which the lar.
va had made through the outside wall
to the outside.
The moth does not begin flight I'm.
til late in the day, about twilight time
AT this time the female deposits its
eggs either singly or in small groups
of from 4 to 20 on the cotton plants,
generally near the apex or point OF
the cotton boil in the divisions mark.
ing the locks. Sometimes the eggs
are laid in the flowers. The eggs are
so small that they cannot be easily
seen with the naked eye. They hatch
within four to ten days and the small
white larva (worm) bores into the
boil usually in the division creases
and first attacks the fleshy part of the
walls and then attacks the seed. When
the worm has eaten out one seed ii
Immediately attacks another until
practically all the seeds in one lock
have been eaten. 1t then bores {
small, clean-cut, round hole through
the partition wall dividing the two
locks an dthen begins operation il
the new lock. The hole bored in the
partition is about the size of hole
made in piece of paper with the
point of pencil. If two worms are
in thes anne lock Of cotton and move
to the next lock each one will bore
their own hole through the partition
and will not use the hole bored by the
other.
After the worm has reached full
maturity, having passed through sew
eral stages in this larval state and
having gained its characteristic pink
ish color, it often webbs two seedf
together, which are called double
seed" This is one of the distinguish
ing characteristics of the work of the
Pink Bollworm. The double seeds
are not destroyed by ginning for they
are closely and rather firmly webbed
together and easily pass through the
gin without being pulled apart 1t has
been proven that the larya (worm
will i've as long as two years in the
seed if conditions are unfavorable for
it to pupate and finally form the moth.
This larval or worm stage lasts
from Is to 80 days, depending on the
weather conditions, temperatures etc.
Just before the worm is ready to
pupate or form the chrysalis, it bores
a