266 



AGRICULTURE 



small, and are laid in a hole which the female eats In the 

 square or boll. After placing the egg at the bottom of 

 the hole, the opening to it is sealed air-tight by the mother 

 weevil so that the egg will not dry up and fail to hatch. 

 Each female may lay more than a hundred and some even 



Courtesy U. 8. Bur. Entomology 



FIG. 174. LARVA OF BOLL WEEVIL IN THE BOLL 



more than two hundred eggs. Only a few days are re- 

 quired for these to hatch. 



The larva. Upon hatching, the little larva, or grub, 

 finds itself surrounded by the tender parts of the bud or 

 boll and then proceeds to feed and grow. When the larva 



