PREFACE. 



Early in 1905 the Bureau of Entomology published as Bulletin 51 

 an account of the information concerning the Mexican cotton-boll 

 weevil which was available at that time. Since 1905 the work on 

 the investigation of this important insect has been continued by the 

 Bureau of Entomology and by various other agencies. As the result 

 of this recent work certain features of the life history of the pest have 

 received full treatment in publications of the bureau. This is the 

 case with hibernation, 1 natural control, 2 parasites, 3 proliferation, 4 and 

 repression. 5 Important contributions have been made by State 

 agencies. The result has been that the original bulletin has been 

 out of date for some time. On many topics the amount of informa- 

 tion now available is more than double that at hand at the time the 

 previous publication was issued. Moreover, it seems advisable that 

 the history of the pest in the United States and an account of the 

 losses occasioned by it should be brought up to date. For these 

 reasons the present publication has been prepared to include all of 

 the more important available information concerning the boll weevil. 

 It is based upon Bulletin 51, from which many extracts have been 

 used, and will supersede that publication. 



In the nature of the case it is impossible to include all of the data 

 which have been published with reference to certain phases of the 

 life history of the boll weevil, such as hibernation and parasite con- 

 trol. In all such cases, however, the main essentials regarding these 

 special topics have been incorporated. Persons who desire more 

 detailed information may consult the various special publications, 

 which are still available. 



As might be supposed the accumulation of many additional data 

 has necessarily changed some of the conclusions drawn in the earlier 

 publication. It is to be noted, however, that these changes are 

 generally of little consequence. 



The investigation of the boll weevil was begun by the then Division 

 of Entomology in 1895 and has been continued, more or less con- 

 stantly, to the present date. The vast amount of information which 

 has thus been accumulated is to be credited to a large number of 

 entomologists, many of whom are now doing work in other fields, 

 The earlier investigations of the weevil were conducted by Dr. L. O. 

 Howard and Messrs. C. L. Marlatt, C. H. T. Townsend, E. A. Schwarz. 

 and Frederick Mally. The State officers who have assisted mate- 

 rially in this work have been the entomologists of Texas, Messrs. 

 E. D. Sanderson, A. F. Conradi, C. E. Sanborn, and Wilmon Newell; 

 of Louisiana, Messrs. H. A. Morgan, Wilmon Newell, J. B. Garrett, 



> Bull. 77, Bur. Ent., U. S. Dept. Agr., 1909. < Bull. 59. Bur. Ent., U. S. Dept. Agr.. 1906. 



' Bull. 74, Bur. Ent., U. S. Dept. Agr., 1907. & Farmers' Bull. 344, U. S. Dept. Agr., 1909. 



3 Bull. 100, Bur. Ent., U. S. Dept. Agr., 1912. 



