36 



The Bulletin. 



Daedens, N. C, September 21, 1907. 



I send you some worms and cotton bolls. Tbe cotton within a radius of five 

 miles is badly damaged by this worm — in some instances the damage is not 

 less than 25 per cent. We have had some of these worms for three or four 

 seasons, but not as many as this year. 



Yours respectfully, C. C. Fagan. 



Life-history and Habits.— The adult (parent) insect is a brownish- 

 yellow moth which measures about an inch and a half from tip to 

 tip of the expanded wings. The moth flies at dusk and after dark, 

 and feeds upon the nectar of flowers. The female moths lay the eggs 

 (on the cotton plant) largely on the young leaves and squares. These 

 moths do no harm other than to lay the eggs. The eggs hatch in from 

 two days to a week to small dark-colored caterpillars, or larvae. At 

 first the young caterpillars feed on the leaves close to where the eggs 

 were laid, but later they wander farther away and attack the first 

 boll they can find, or bore into the bud. The worm may remain in 

 the boll first attacked until it is completely eaten out, or it may eat 

 directly through the boll and at once go in search of another. In 

 this way one Boll-worm may destroy a considerable number of 

 bolls. 



Fig. 14. — Healthy square at left. "Flared" square attacked by Boll-worm at right. Notice hole eaten 



in bud by worm. Natural size. 



(After Quaintance, Bur. Ent., U. S. Dept. Agr.) 



When the larva (caterpillar) is fully grown it is from an inch to 

 an inch and a half in length. They vary greatly in color, some being 

 dusky brown, others pink, reddish or yellowish. The grown larva 

 leaves the boll and enters the ground, where it changes to the pupa. 



