68 



A special publication dealing with insects most frequently reported 

 to this Bureau as being mistaken for the boll weevil is now being 

 prepared and will be available for general distribution. 



IS COTTON-SEED MEAL ATTHACTIVE? 

 LABORATOE-Y OBSERVATIONS. 



On account of the popular impression that cotton-seed meal will 

 attract weevils it has been necessary to conduct a rather full series of 

 experiments. To ascertain the possibility of using this substance as 

 an attractant for the weevil in field work, three series of laboratory 

 tests were first made. The weevils used were obtained from the same 

 source in all tests. The first series was designed to test the ability of 

 the weevils to live upon cotton-seed meal alone as a food. The second 

 series was intended to show whether the weevils would prefer the 

 meal to cotton leaves as an indication of the possibility of attracting 

 hibernated weevils before the formation of squares in the spring. 

 The third series was planned to show whether the weevils would pre- 

 fer the meal as a food when squares could be easily found. The 

 cotton-seed meal used was obtained fresh from the oil mill and the 

 experiments started during the latter part of November. 



Weevils fed rather sparingly upon the meal in Series I. It did not 

 seem to agree with them as a food and they showed no special inclina- 

 tion to feed upon it. Twenty-three of the 24 weevils confined upon 

 meal alone died in from 2 to 13 days, showing an average duration of 

 life of slightly over 6 days. These weevils either starved to death 

 rather than eat the cotton-seed meal, or else they were not able to eat 

 it. The dry and empty bodies of all dead weevils showed that death 

 was caused by starvation and not by disease. Being entirel}^ covered 

 with the fine meal did not seem to have any bad effect upon them. 

 As weevils without food or water showed an average duration of life 

 of slightly over 6 days, agreeing exactly with the period in this test, it 

 appears that cotton-seed meal is not only not a food desired by the 

 weevils, but also that it is not capable of prolonging their lives to any 

 appreciable extent. 



In Series II 21 weevils were confined with fresh cotton leaves and 

 cotton-seed meal as food. During the 297 "weevil-days" that this 

 experiment was continued but one weevil died. The average period 

 of the test for each weevil was 14 days. The weevils fed almost 

 wholly upon leaves. Occasionally one would feed a little on the 

 meal, but they certainly preferred the leaves, and the results show 

 that leaves alone were responsible for the longer life of these weevils. 

 The 20 survivors were placed in hibernation December 20, 1902, but 

 all died before AprU 15, 1903. ' ■ 



