﻿THE PINK BOLLWOEM 



9 



that a female will deposit in the neighborhood of 100 eggs. These 

 hatch in from 4 to 12 days. 



The larva, on hatching, proceeds to bore its way into either a 

 square or a boll. Squares are preferred early in the season, before 

 the green bolls have become three-fourths grown. The square, 

 even though it contains a larva, usually'' develops into a bloom. If 

 the larva has attained nearly full development before the bloom 

 opens it webs the ends of the petals together, and on opening they 

 do not flare out normallj^; the bloom presents a rosetted appearance 

 and is easily distinguished as infested. The infested bolls some- 

 times become recognizable by a 

 reddish or blackened discoloration 

 which follows attack. Close ex- 

 amination will also reveal the small 

 entrance holes of the larvse. But 

 the only conclusive evidence of in- 

 festation is the larva within the boll, 

 as disclosed by dissection. 



The food of the larva is the seed 

 within the boll. It devours one 

 seed and generally proceeds to the 

 next one above. Ordinarily a single 

 larva does not make its way out- 

 side of the lock which it first in- 

 vades, but occasionally the adjoining 

 lock may be entered. It is to be 

 noted that the larva restricts itself 

 to the interior of the boll and never 

 makes its way to the outside for the 

 purpose of reaching another boll. 



During the summer the full-grown pio 

 larva either cuts a hole in the outer 

 boll wall for the emergence of 

 the moth and pupates immediately 



imder it, or drops to the soil and pupates within the surface 

 layer of soil or under trash on tlie surface. In the fall the majority 

 of the larV'Se remain in the bolls for hibernation. Often the larva 

 protects itself by webbing two seeds together, the attachment being 

 made to the openings brought into contact by the insect. These 

 " double seeds " are characteristic of the work of the insect. Since 

 usually they are not destroyed in the process of ginning, they fur- 

 nish the best means of determining quickly whether any lot of seeds 

 is infested. 



Dui'ing the summer the larval stage occupies from 20 to 30 days. 

 Late in the season this stage may Ixi more or less indefinitely i)ro- 

 longed, and pupation correspondingly delayed (-9, p. 0). It is this 

 feature in the life liistory of the pest whicli has facilitated its car- 

 riage to many remote quai-ters of the earth. As this longtivity is 

 one of the most iinportiint points in tlu- life liistory of the insect a 

 summary of the existing records concerning it is given in Table 1. 



722.'{7'"-'— 20 2 



8. — Pink bollworm on carpel of 

 cotton boll, which sliows also typical 

 hole made by worm while travel- 

 ing from oue lock to the next 



