HIBERNATION. 



117 



Table LIII. — Intermittent activity oj unfed boll weei Us after emergence, at Dallas, Tex., 



1906. 



The observations recorded in Table LIII Bhow conclusively that wee- 

 vils may leave their winter quarters during warm days and, failing to 

 find food, they may again become quiet and emerge again after a con- 

 siderable interval. This fact has an important bearing upon the 

 proposition which is frequently advanced by planters of starving the 

 weevils in the spring by deferring the time of planting. While many 

 weevils might perish in this way, it is certain that many more would be 

 able to survive and reappear at intervals, so that there would be plenty 

 of weevils to infest the crop, even though this might be planted as 

 late as is possible to secure any yield. 



Other observations were made upon the intermittent activity of 

 unfed weevils during the spring of 1906. Weevils from Calvert, Vic- 

 toria, and Brenham, Tex., were tested. The weevils from Calvert 

 and Victoria had been confined in hibernation cages throughout the 

 winter. Those from Brenham were collected in the field! early in 

 March. None of these weevils had tasted food after emergence. 

 The results are shown in Table LIY. In this table the date of death, 

 unless otherwise indicated, is considered as having been the middle 

 date between the last examination at which a weevil was found alive 

 and that at which it was found dead. 



Table LIV. — Intermittent activity of unfed emerged boll weevils, 1906.* 



Locality. 



Brenham, Tex . 



When 

 collected. 



1905 



Calvert, Tex Nov. 25 



Victoria,Tex g£ 7 .g 



1906 



Nov. 



When 



put in hi- 

 bernation. 



1906 



Nov. 27 

 Nov. 7, 13 

 Dec. 11 



When 

 removed 



from hi- 

 bernation. 



1906 

 Apr. 19 



Apr. 6 

 Mar. 1 



Whin 

 rehiber- 



1906 

 Apr. 23 



Apr. 16 

 Mar. 7 



Weevils 

 put in rehi- 

 b*-rnation. 



Date of 

 first ex- 

 amina- 

 tion. 



May 10 

 Apr. 24 



May 11 



Locality. 



Weevils 



surviv- 

 ing. 



second 



exami- 

 nation. 



Weevils 



surviv- 

 ing. 



Date of 



third 

 exami- 

 nation. 



surviv- 

 ing. 



Date of 

 death of 

 longe l 



survival. 



A verage 

 length of 



life in 

 rehi tar- 

 nation. 



Calvert, Tex.. 

 Victoria, Tex. 



Brenham, Tex 



May 22 



May 10 



May 23 



June 8 



May 31 



June 8 

 Mav 10 

 Mav 31 



Days. 

 30.4 

 19.1 

 67.4 



From Bulletin 77, Bureau of Entomology, p. 52. 



