130 FIELD CROPS FOR THE COTTON-BELT 



from the middle of August to the end of the season. This 

 is spoken of as the " dispersion period." At this time there 

 is always a movement from fields in all directions probably 

 in search of hibernating quarters. It was at first thought 

 that this tendency of the weevils to fly at this season of 

 the year was due to a scarcity of food. Investigations 

 have shown, however, that this movement is due to a 

 well-developed instinct on the part of the weevils for ex- 

 tending their range into new territory. It is at this season 

 of the year that the weevils make their first appearance in 

 uninfested territory. When aided by the wind, they have 

 been known to travel a distance of forty miles in a very 

 short time. 



153. Hibernation. With the advent of cool weather 

 in the fall, the adult weevils begin to look for hibernating 

 quarters. They fly in all directions and finally take refuge 

 in any place that will afford some protection. They may 

 pass the winter in woods, hedges, corn fields, farm build- 

 ings, hay stacks, Spanish moss, under grass and weeds or 

 other trash, or in dead cotton burrs. During the hiber- 

 nating period the weevils take no food, remaining practi- 

 cally dormant. Recent investigations have shown that 

 in ordinary winters less than three per cent of the weevils 

 that go into hibernating quarters in the fall live through 



^he winter. On the appearance of warm weather in the 

 spring, those weevils that have survived the winter emerge 

 from their winter quarters and fly in search of the nearby 

 cotton fields. 



154. Damage. It is in the larva stage that the boll- 

 weevil does its greatest damage. After the egg has been 

 deposited in the cotton square, the developing larva pre- 

 vents the further development of the square. Even 

 relatively large bolls that have been punctured either 



