Survival of boll weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) adults after feeding on pollens from various sources

The survival of overwintering boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis (Boheman), adults on non-cotton hosts in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of Texas was examined from 2001 to 2006. The success of the Boll Weevil Eradication Program, which was re-introduced into the LRGV in 2005, depends on controlling overwintering boll weevil populations. Laboratory studies were conducted using boll weevil adults that were captured in pheromone traps from September through March. The number of adults captured per trap declined significantly in the field from fall to the beginning of spring (3.5-7.0-fold). The proportion of trapped males and females did not differ significantly. The mean weight of boll weevil adults captured in September was 13.3 mg, while those of captured adults from November to February were significantly lower and ranged from 6.7 to 7.8 mg. Our results show that boll weevil adults can feed on different plant pollens. The highest longevity occurred when adults were fed almond pollen or mixed pollens (72.6 days and 69.2 days, respectively) and the lowest when they fed on citrus pollen or a non-food source (9.7 days or 7.4 days, respectively). The highest adult survival occurred on almond and mixed pollens [88.0%-97. 6% after 1st feeding period (10 days), 78.0%-90.8% after 3rd feeding period (10 days), 55. 0%-83.6% after 5th feeding period (10 days), and 15.2%-32.4% after 10th feeding period (10 days)]. The lowest adult survival occurred on citrus pollen [52.0%-56.0% after 1st feeding period (10 days), 13.3% after 3rd and 5th feeding periods (10 days), and 0 after 6th feeding period (10 days)]. Pollen feeding is not a behavior restricted to adult boll weevils of a specific sex or physiological state. Understanding how boll weevil adults survive in the absence of cotton is important to ensure ultimate success of eradicating this pest in the subtropics.