
9 
HIBERNATION. 
The adult weevils begin seeking winter quarters as soon as the first 
cold weather begins in the fall. They crawl into cracks and crevices 
under bark of posts and trees, and under all kinds of trash and rubbish 
on the farm, in the gin, seed houses, and buildings on the plantation. 
The partially opened bolls and cotton-stalk trash also afford hiding 
and shelter. The weevils therefore pass the winter in the adult stage, 
ready to come out in spring as soon as cotton planting begins. They 
come out as soon as the weather becomes warm enough, and from that 
time on until frost they are depredating on cotton. 
There are often many eggs, larvee, and pupe in the squares and bolls 
when the first heavy frosts come. These all die from the effects of 
severe cold before spring. In fact, severe freezes alternating with 
warm spel!s will kill many of the full-grown hibernating weevils before 
spring. Only the full-grown insects have any chance of passing the 
winter. 
MIGRATION. 
There is much confusion as to the spread of this pest over new ter- 
ritory from year to year. Close observation concerning this problem 
has developed the fact that during the growing season for cotton the 
weevil spreads very slowly except under unusual conditions. The 
unprecedented high winds and storms of the season, culminating in the 
disastrous hurricane of September 8, 1900, which covered almost the 
entire weevil district, were largely responsible for the unusual spread 
over so much new territory in midseason that year. 
As already stated, the weevils are sluggish in flight, and ordinarily fly 
“no great distance at one time. As a matter of fact, they spread over 
new territory mostly in the fall, when frosts compel them to leave the 
cotton fields and seek winter quarters. That is tosay, their hibernation 
march in the fall usually causes them to fly more continuously and 
greater distances in a few weeks than during the entire growing 
season. 
Then, again, in spring, when warm weather brings them out, they 
also have a long chase in search of fields where young cotton may be 
found growing and ready to afford them their first food. Here, again, 
they spread over more territory in a few weeks than during the 
remainder of the growing season. Hence after the migration to new 
territory in fall and spring there is very little more spread unless there 
should be a scarcity of food. 
It is important to note these facts carefully, because many planters 
fail to make war on the weevil for the reason, as they assert, that the 
weevil will spread to them from their neighbors who make no effort 
to subdue the pest. This idea is of course erroneous, in view of the 
fact that during the growing season there is little spread after the 
