Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1924-09-20
The Boil Weevil Is Not
Passing

wholly ignorant of the facts,
started a wild story recently to
the effect that the boil weevil
is passing out OF Georgia; that
the climate did not agree with
it. or that there was some para
site feeding on the weevil that
caused its gradual disappear
ance.
This foolish story may have
had its origin through the fact
that infestation was lower this
year than in other years. The
past summer was unusually hot
and dry and this made it easier
to fight the weevil. Last win
ter was an unusually cold win
ter and fewer weevils emerged
than in years previous. But the
weevil has not passed. 1t IS
here. 1t will be here next sum-
mer, and the summer after, and
so on.
Replying to these wild and
unfounded reports, the expert
agronomists at the Georgia Ex-
pertinent Station have this to
say: e. n g.
The light infestation of boil
weevils this summer has started
rumors among the farmers that
the boil weevil is passing" that
is that we have experienced the
worst from the boil weevil and
that in the future they will not
be as numerous as in the past.
Unfortunately, there appears to
be no basis for this optimism.
Like other false hopes it may
cause disaster by encouraging
farmers to plant more cotton and
to neglect proper methods Of boil
weevil control.
At the Georgia Experiment
Station last fall four thousand
weevils were placed in cages in
which was placed enough straw
to give what was considered av-
erage winter protection. With
normal winter there would have
emerged this spring from one
hundred to two hundred weevils.
However, only one weevil came
out of winter quarters. The cause
of this low emergence was I'M
doubtedly the unusual cold
weather which occurred on jan
uary IL and after. 1t is also
certain that the small number of
weeyils appearing in fields this
spring was due to the same cause,
and not from any passing" of
the weevil.
Several theories have been adj
vancd to account for this "pass-
ing" of the boil weevil. None
of them are based on fact or will
hold water" when carefully ex-
amined. One of-the most com
mon theories advanced is that al:
unknown parasite is the cause of
the decrease. But the experiment
cite1 above proves that the de-
crease took place last winter and
parasites are not active during
cold weather. Another theory
advanced is that our weather does
not agree with the boil weevil.
Weather was undoubtedly the
cause of the decrease in boil Wee
wills this year, but unfortunately,
it was unusual weather and not
usual weather which caused the
decrease and therefore the results
are not permanent. For the past
four or five years we have had
plenty of evidence that the boil
Weeyil is adapted to our climate.
We also have thirty years ex-
perEence in other states to show
that the boil -weevil does not
pass through" a country to
WHICH it is adapted but becomes
permanent fixture.
Judging from past experience
there are at prese2t in most To-
calities in Georgia enough boil
weevils in the fields to start a
dangerous infestation next spring,
provided Georgia experiences
one of her usual mild winters. If
the unusual should happen again
and we should have another Sc
vertly cold winter, we may again
expect a low boil weevil emerg-
enee As it is never a wise plan
to depend on the unusual, farm
erg should not forget the lessons
they have learned in the past few
years9n regard to diversifiying
crops and methods of boil weevil
coHtrol
II would be foolish to depend
on the weather. If the weevil
is successfully combatted, moth
ing should be left undone to de-
stroy them whenever and wher-
ever he is found.
The FIRST step is destruction of
the cotton stalks Immediately
after picking is completed.
Leave the weeviI no food on
which to thrive until winter
Starve him out before frost and
there will be fewer weeviIs tc
ravage the young plsptss;p, the
spring. ~1''''-'-
Notwithstanding the severely