20 



turns dark just before the moth emerges. The pupal stage 

 occupies about fourteen days. 



The adult insect. The perfect insect or imago of the boll- 

 worm is a rather small moth of a gray-brown color with dark 

 blotches and suffusions. The wings, expand about three- 

 fourths of an inch. On the front 

 wing there is a large dark area 

 towards the apex. The hind wings 

 are grayish. The fringe on the front 

 wings is brown; it is longer on the 

 hind wings and lighter in color. The 

 moth flies at night and will seldom 

 be seen in daytime. It flies with a 

 swift, darting motion when dis- 

 turbed. The female begins to lay her 

 eggs in three or four days after leav- 

 ing the chrysalis, and each individual 

 eggs. The moths live from five to 



Fig. 11c — Bollworm, Gelechia gos- 

 sypiella Sdrs., adult moth- Nat. 

 size- (Photograph by author.) 



lays a large number of 

 ten days or even longer after emergence. 



Bemeclies: The use of artificial remedies to combat the boll- 

 worm is at the present time, for practical reasons, not advised. 



Relief, it is 

 thought, is to be 

 sought rather in 

 clean culture and 

 the use of certain 

 cultural methods 

 adapted to lessen 

 boll-worm infesta- 

 tion. The regular 

 destruction of in- 

 fested bolls b y 

 burning ; severe 

 pruning and burn- 

 ing after the last 



picking in the fall; the collection and burning of all fallen 

 bolls (clean culture); ginning soon after picking; picking and 



Fig. 12— Parasite of the bollworm, Chelonus blackburni 

 Cameron. Enlarged ten times. (Copied from Swezey) 



