The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1922-04-28
BOIL WEEVu CONTROL
About Method. Of Combating the Series Of Answers and question:
Boil Weevil-Based on Highest Authorities
(BY C.. A. WHITTLE In THE STATE.)

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When do boil weevils begin to
harm the cotton plant?
The. boil weevil does practically
no harm to the cotton plant until the
squares begin to form.
The damage done to the squares
is far greater than is done to the
:bolls, and with greater propriety the
insect might have been named the
acotton square weevil."
Some of the worst insects which
farmers have to contend with do
their harm by eating, but the ma
ture boil weevil is not an enemy in
that way. 1t is through its reproduce
tive process that the weevil does
damage to the cotton squares.
The boil weevil energies from
winter quarters and is in the cotton
field waiting for squares to form so
that it can lay it's eggs therein and
then die. Many of them die before
squares are formed and all the old
weewils have about lived out their
day by squaring time.
Boil weevils may be harming the
squares on the early cotton crop,
that is, some squares can be lost
without endangering the prospects
Of a full crop, for as any farmer
knows, cotton puts on about so per
cent more squares than it ever ma
lures.
If there are only a very few Wee
wills in a cotton field and they are
puncturing only a few squares, one
could, therefore, say that the boil
weevils are doing no real damage,
but as soon as the weevils reproduce
and become numerous enough to de-
stroy more than the natural shed of
squares, then they are reducing the
yield and are, of course. endanger-
ing success.
If boil weevils appear in great
numbers from winter quarters and
theaten to take the greater part of
the squares as they form then it is
considered a good policy to begin
the fight against the weevil early,
even before the squares begin to
form.
When should an early fight
against the boil weevil begin?
Provided the wintered over wee
wills are numerous enough to threat
en- heavy destruction of the first
squares, the time to combat. them IS
Just before the squares begin to
form. Remember that the weevils
are doing no harm until the squares
form and also remember that many
of the weevils that emerge from
winter quarters will die before the
square forming time.
One effective measure taken just
before squares begin to form will,
therefore, be all that is necessary-in
combating the old or wintered
e weevils. The real fight, of
course, comes later with the new
generations of weevils.
What is the most effective method
Of destroying .wintered over wee
wills?
Dust some calcium aresnate poi
SON on the plants. 1t requires very
little of it to go over the young
plants. For this one application no
machinery is required for putting on
the poison.
Before the squares form the Wee
eils forage in the terminal bud. If
poison is busted on the top of the
plant the weevil will most likely get
IT'S fatal dose This application OF
poison can be made with a cheese
cloth bag or other simple device,
but these devices will not do for ap-
plying poison when the regular poi
soning times comes later or Ma
ahipes must then be used.
, Are traps of practical value in
catching weevils?
Boil weevil traps have never been
an economical success. Some. weeVlls
can be caught by them but not
enough to exercise any marked con-
4ro! Various trans have been tried