Submitted to: Southwestern Entomologist Publication Type: Peer
Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: April 28, 2008
Publication Date: July 23, 2008 Citation: Spurgeon, D.W.,
Sappington, T.W., and Rummel, D.R. 2008. Host-free Survival of
Boll Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) from Two Regions of
Texas. Southwest Entomol. 33:151-152. Interpretive Summary: The
boll weevil overwinters in most U.S. cotton production areas in
a state of dormancy called diapause. This diapause state permits
the weevils to survive the non-cropping season without feeding
on cotton. New information regarding diapause could be useful to
efforts to improve the efficiency of ongoing eradication
programs. Some reports have suggested that diapause is
controlled differently in weevil populations from different
geographical areas. However, more recent reports for two widely-
separated weevil populations in Texas do not support these
conclusions. In laboratory studies we stimulated weevils from
the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) and H