16 Growing Sea Island Cotton Under Florida Conditions 



Fig, 5. Showing another type of hibernating quarters for boll weevil. 



In damp, mossy situations such as is show^n above, the poisoning operation 

 should be continued until June 18 or 20, since the emergence of the weevils 

 from such hibernating quarters continues until comparatively late in the 

 spring. 



Perfect control of the w^eevil w^as obtained in this field of Sea Island cotton 

 with the WPA afternoon poisoning method, in spite of the fact that cotton 

 was grown near this swamp the previous year. 



Damage 

 Although weevils destroy a large number of squares during 

 the course of a season if not kept under control, the principal 

 damage is to the bolls. On upland cotton, the bolls are at- 

 tacked only after squares become scarce. Then small bolls 

 are punctured in the same manner that squares are. A hole 

 is eaten through the rind, an egg is deposited, and the hole 

 is sealed. If the boll is small and the rind thin, the egg is 

 placed in the lint, and that lock will be ruined by the feeding 

 grub. Often many eggs are laid in one boll, and the entire 

 boll is ruined. If the rind of the boll is too thick to enable 

 the female to place the egg in the lint, however, as is fre- 

 quently the case with upland bolls two weeks or more old, 

 the immature weevil fi-equently perishes, and the boll is not 

 seriously injured by the puncture. Sea Island bolls are at- 

 tacked much more freely than upland bolls, and their thinner 

 rind makes it possible for the female to place the egg in the 

 lint until the boll is practically grown. Sea Island bolls are 

 therefore much more susceptible to weevil damage than are 

 upland bolls. 



