April, '08] JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 117 



Mr. Hunter stated that the farmers in the section where his experi- 

 ment was tried were anxious to have it repeated this year. 



A LARGE SCALE EXPERIMENT IN THE CONTROL OF 

 THE COTTON BOLL WEEVIL 



By W. D. Hu^^TEK, Washington, D. C. 

 (Withdrawn for publication elsewhere.) 



A paper was read as follows : 



THE ECONOMIC BEARING OF RECENT STUDIES OF 

 THE PARASITES OF THE COTTON BOLL WEEVIL 



By W. D. PiEECE, Washington, D. C. 



The utilization of parasites in the control of injurious insects gener- 

 ally has taken only the form of introduction from other localities or 

 from foreign countries. Notable instances may be cited in the intro- 

 duction of Scutellista cyanea from Africa into California to combat 

 the black scale {Saissetia oleae), and the very recent introduction of 

 this same parasite from California into Hawaii, there to attack a 

 different species of scale in the same genus. The successful introduc- 

 tion of Bhogas lefroyi from southern India into the Punjab by Mr, 

 Maxwell Lefroy in order to restore the former condition of control of 

 the boUworm by this species, which was killed out by the cold winter, 

 and the more important fact that where introduced the parasites 

 regained much of their former control is another example of the 

 same kind. Mr. F. M. Webster, in a paper read before this association 

 last winter, cited a number of important cases of valuable parasites 

 in the control of cereal and grain crop insects. 



Contrary to earlier suppositions, it is now apparent that parasites 

 and predatory insects bear a very considerable part in the control of 

 the boll weevil. It is important to note that the boll weevil parasites 

 are indigenous species that have been attacking native weevils, but 

 which now, in many instances, seem to be transferring their attention 

 to the great enemy of the cotton plant. Since the control by these 

 inimical insects can be aided by several distinct methods of practice, 

 it is considered justifiable to present the following remarks: 



The preliminary studies which have been necessary in order to 

 perfect any methods of economic treatment have involved the collec- 

 tion and individual examination of infested cotton forms during 1906 

 and 1907 which have contained over 54,000 weevil stages, exclusive 



