180 BULI.ETIN 87 



In 1914 a shipment of cotton seed from Egypt was received by 

 the president of a cotton ginning company in the Salt River Valley 

 of Arizona. Upon examination at the office of the State Ento- 

 mologist this seed was found to be grossly infested with the 

 Egyptian pink bollworm and was consequently destroyed by burn- 

 ing. It is safe to say that if the condition of this seed had not 

 been discovered the pink bollworm would have become established 

 in Arizona and have made Egyptian cotton growing unprofitable. 

 Unfortunatel}^ there were no agencies in Mexico to prevent the 

 importation and planting of infested Egyptian seed in that country. 

 As a consequence the insect was established in the Laguna district 

 of Northern Mexico. From there it has been scattered to other 

 cotton growing districts, including two or three points in Texas. 

 The Texas state government has passed a very drastic law and the 

 Federal government has appropriated a large sum of money for 

 the eradication of the pink bollworm. No effort will be spared to 

 make this undertaking a success. 



The pink bollworm moth is a small gray colored insect less 

 than half an inch long. The eggs are deposited on the cotton bolls 

 as a rule. These hatch in the course of a few days and the habits 

 of the larva or worm are similar to those of the bollworm. The 

 grown worm is a little less than half an inch long. Very young 

 worms are white in color but become pink when full grown. The 

 worm bores into the interior of the boll and feeds upon the cotton 

 seed. Frequently two or more seeds are fastened together by the 

 worm in such a way as to allow of its passage from one to another. 

 The "double" seeds are regarded as a sure indication of the presence 

 of the pink bollworm altho the live worms may also be found in 

 single seeds. There is no other cotton pest so well adapted for 

 transportation in cotton seed as this one. In addition to cotton, 

 this insect attacks hollyhocks and species of hibiscus, the two 

 species so far recorded as subject to infestation being known as 

 Indian hemp and okra. No doubt other species of hibiscus will 

 also be found to be subject to attack by this insect. The fact that 

 the pink bollworm is not confined to cotton as is the cotton boll 

 weevil adds somewhat to the difficulties in controlling or eradicat- 

 ing it. 



The misfortune of the introduction of the pink bollworm into 

 Egypt will add to the expense of producing long staple cotton in 

 that country, and consequently the freedom of the cotton fields of 

 the arid Southwest from this pest represents a distinct economic 

 advantage for the Egyptian cotton growing industry in this section. 



