14 HIBERNATION OF TPTE COTTON BOLL WEEVIL, 



of November, finding 79 eggs, or that 11 per cent of the squares 

 contained eggs. From an examination of 1,600 squares he states 

 that 366 hirvfe were found, showing that about 23 per cent of the 

 squares contained hirvse at the time of entrance into hibernation. 

 Some stages may survive in squares for a short time after the freeze, 

 but there are few records of weevils entering hibernation at immature 

 stages in squares and surviving to emerge therefrom in the spring. 

 These stages are therefore unimportant from an economic point of 

 view. 



With immature stages entering hibernation in bolls (PL II, fig. 3) the 

 case is quite (UfTerent from that in squares. Extensive examinations 

 liave been made at vaiious times in widely separated locuhties to deter- 

 mine tlie possibihty of these stages nuituring in the bolls during the 

 winter and emerging in the spring. Al)out themichlleof November, 

 in the winter of 1903-4, it was sufhciently cold at Victoria to destroy 

 cotton plants. By the last week in December two hard frosts and 

 one freeze had occurred, but at that time Hving larva^ pupae, and 

 adults could be very commonly found in unopened bolls. Two 

 weeks later, upon making another examination, Mr. J. D. Mitchell 

 found a smaller proportion of larvae with more pupae and adults. 

 Examinations were also made on January 17 and 31 and February 

 4 and 17, 1904. In the course of these examinations 23 larvae, 30 

 pupae, and 144 adults were found, and most of them were living. At 

 Terrell, Tex., on December 15, 1904, in examinations of 200 bolls 

 Mr. C. R. Jones found 101 larvae, 16 pupae, and 4 adults, all of which 

 were alive. Fifteen days later, in examining 100 dry bolls, he found 

 20 larvae, 16 pupa>, and 8 adults. Sixty per cent of the larvae, 87.5 

 per cent of the pupa^, and 62.5 per cent of the adults were alive on 

 December 30. On Januaiy 7, 1905, in an examination of 300 dried 

 bolls 29 larvff, 19 pupae, and 13 adults were found, while the per- 

 centage of living, in each stage, had fallen to 17.2 for larva?, 15.8 for 

 pupae, and 7.7 for adults. At Wharton, Tex., after the middle of 

 November, 1905, an examination of 52 bolls disclosed 30 larvae and 

 2 pupae, all of which were alive. 



These records might easily be multiplied, but it is unnecessary 

 to do so to prove that very large numbers of weevils enter upon the 

 period of hibernation as immature stages and that during many 

 seasons, especially in the southern part of the State, a large per- 

 centage of these complete their development, and that many weevils 

 may survive until time for their emergence in the spring. This 

 point is emphasized especially because of its significance in regard 

 to the most advisable method for destroying the stalks together 

 with the infested unopened bolls which may remain upon them 

 late in the season. Upon page 26 will be found, records showing the 

 results of extensive examinations of bolls during the winter and 

 early spring, which add much emphasis to this point. 



