Development periods, preoviposition periods, and oviposition rates of the cotton boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boheman

The study was conducted during the cotton growing seasons of 1973 and 1974 on the West Tennessee Experiment Station at Jackson, Tennessee. The purposes of the study were to determine the development periods, preoviposition periods, and oviposition rates of the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boheman. In 1973, equipment and techniques were developed for completing the studies. Experiments were conducted in 1974 which determined the develop-ment periods from egg to the emergence of adult weevils. Determinations were made of the preoviposition periods and the oviposition rates for female weevils that emerged from cotton squares each week throughout the test period. Development periods were found to vary with temperature. As temperatures decreased, development periods increased. Preoviposition periods were found to increase and oviposition rates were found to decrease as the season progressed.