A New Approach to Boll Weevil Control 1

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Abstract
Late-season applications of insecticides were made on 525 acres of cotton in the Big Bend area of Texas during 1959 to reduce the overwintering population of boll weevils (Anthonomus grandis Boh.). Four applications of methyl parathion were applied on a 12- to 14-day schedule beginning just prior to harvest and continuing until frost killed the cotton. The program was designed to kill boll weevils before they attain a state of diapause, a physiological condition in which they survive the winter. Results indicated a substantial reduction in population of overwintering weevils in the treated area. During 1960 boll weevils were found on May 10 in the untreated check area. The first weevil damage was found in the treated fields on July 6. Some fields in the treated area were free of boll weevil damage on August 25. The delay of buildup of the boll weevil population appears to be great enough to delay the start of the control program sufficiently to effect substantial savings on the insect control program. The program offers some promise as a tool in boll weevil eradication.

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