THE BEETLES: ORDER COLEOPTERA 145 



largely confined within the borders of Texas, the loss to 

 the cotton crop in one year due to this insect was esti- 

 mated at $15,000,000 by Dr. L. O. Howard, entomologist 

 of the United States Department of Agriculture. The 

 possible annual loss to the cotton planters of the South 

 in case the pest should be- 

 come generally distributed, 

 has been estimated at 

 $250,000,000. Conse- 

 quently it is not strange 

 that this insect has received 

 a great deal of attention 

 from the national and state 

 governments, and that 

 strenuous efforts are being 

 made to destroy it where 

 it now exists, and to pre- 

 vent its introduction into 

 new localities. 



Briefly stated, the life INFESTED COTTON SQUARE 



history of the Boll Weevil is this : The adult snout beetles 

 pass the winter in a great variety of shelters, in or near 

 the cotton fields. In spring they come forth from their 

 hibernating quarters and attack the young plants, feeding 

 upon the buds, in which they make small round holes. In 

 some of these holes are deposited eggs that soon hatch 

 into whitish, footless grubs that feed upon the interior of 

 the buds, destroying the blossoms and thus greatly injuring 

 the prospects of the crop. These larvae grow rapidly and 

 in a few weeks become mature, so far as this stage is con- 

 cerned. They then change to pupae still within the shelter 

 of the bud, and a little later change to adult beetles. They 

 gnaw their way out and soon deposit eggs for a second 



