Experts Insist Boll Weevil
Eradication Is Working Well

SAN ANGELO — It has been two years since the Southern Rolling Plains Boll Weevil Eradication program began, and experts say weevil numbers have dropped almost 98 percent compared to historical averages documented prior to the program.

Despite heated controversy, State Integrated Pest Management Coordinator Dr. Tom Fuchs believes wholeheartedly in the program.

"Sure, there are still weevils out there, but let’s put this thing into perspective," Fuchs said. "The other day a producer complained to me that the BWE program wasn’t working. I asked him how many weevils he had found in the traps on his place. He replied ‘two’. Before the start of the BWE Program there may have been as many as 200 to 300 in any given trap. People need to keep these numbers in mind before they say this thing isn’t working."

The traps Fuchs refers to are the lantern-shaped, chartreuse-colored devices seen on stakes everywhere in cotton country. The traps are boll weevil census devices. The insects are lured inside by a chemical and the bright color. This gives the trapper a good idea how many weevils are in the area.

Rick Minzenmayer, Extension integrated pest management agent for Tom Green and Runnels counties, oversees the Extension Service’s 120-trap trapline over four counties and has for much of its 16-year existence.

"Historically, the last week of May and the first two weeks of June are the peak emergence periods for weevils here," Minzenmayer said. "That is when we catch them if they’re there. Since the start of the BWE program, numbers have dropped tremendously in step-down fashion. Last winter’s cool temperatures helped, but they weren’t cold enough to make the big reductions we’re now seeing. Last winter and the BWE program complemented each other.

"The Rolling Plains Central Zone is colder than we are," he continued, "but they won’t start their BWE program until this fall. Their traps averaged 35 weevils the first week of June compared to less than one per trap in the Southern Rolling Plains. That’s 98 percent fewer in the Southern Rolling Plains. Historically, that’s not been the case. This shows the winter was certainly not the only factor."

The Southern Rolling Plains Boll Weevil Eradication Program had 4267 traps strung across all or parts of the nine counties in the program the second week of June. Counties include Tom Green, Runnels, Concho, McCulloch, Schleicher, Irion, Coleman, Coke and the southern part of Taylor County.

To date, Extension’s trapline and that of the BWE program have shown the same results.