What does a boll weevil look like?
The most distinctive feature of a weevil is its head. Most weevils have elongated heads which look like pronounced snouts, leading to the alternate name of “snout beetle.” Most weevils are wingless, and many have antennae which fold when not in use.
What does boll weevil mean?
BOLL WEEVIL, a quarter-inch-long beetle that eats the buds and young bolls of cotton plants, resulting in damage that reduces the fiber output of the plants. Boll weevils produce several generations each year between spring and fall before hibernating over the winter.
How does the boll weevil destroy the cotton?
Boll weevils can completely destroy a cotton crop. Boll weevils eat all the buds off the plants; they destroy any cotton that the plants manage to produce by eating and laying eggs in the cotton.
Does the boll weevil still exist?
Today, the boll weevil is considered eradicated in all cotton-growing states except Texas. „The only place in the U.S. where boll weevils still exist is in extreme South Texas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, which is continually inundated with natural migration from Mexico,“ Barker says.
The color of the adult Boll weevil is grayish; it has a snout and normally measures up to 6 mm in length. Drought and severe heat are the other restraint on the population of the Boll weevils.
How did the boll weevil affect the American economy?
The boll weevil contributed to Southern farmers‘ economic woes during the 1920s, a situation exacerbated by the Great Depression in the 1930s. The boll weevil appeared in Venezuela in 1949 and Colombia in 1950. The Amazon Rainforest was thought to present a barrier to the insect’s further spread, until it was detected in Brazil in 1983.
Are Boll Weevils a threat to my home?
The accidental invaders pose no threat to homes or human health. Controlling boll weevil populations in American cotton-producing states has been a major concern for many years. Damage from the feeding adults appears on the flowers and other areas of the plant. How Do I Get Rid of Boll Weevils?
What do boll weevil beetles eat?
The Boll weevil beetle is scientifically named Anthonomus Grandis, and it feeds on flowers and cotton buds. It is supposed to be endemic to Central America.