Gloworm 7
Your Extension Experts
Related News
July 25, 1997
June 23, 1997
May 12, 1997
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14 July 1999
Volume 7: no. 7
We've been working to get some things on the net since camp and 4-H Club congress, so if you are computer able, check the listings at http://www.ext.msstate.edu/anr/entpath/4-h/. I think you'll like what you see there. We will continue to add new pictures and text to these pages. We're also open to suggestions.
There were a number of insect collections at both 4-H Club Congress and Project Achievement days. There were also a number of 4-Hers who chose not to bring their collections for judging at those contest events. It's time to begin getting ready for the fall fairs and shows. These are times when collections can really shine, because people are greatly impressed by almost any insect collection on display. These pointers apply to almost every collection I've seen recently.
County and State Fairs will begin in August, so `times a wasting!'
Most of the time we feature an insect which is flashy or one that many folks like, but this time we're going to hear about a PEST. The boll weevil is a small beetle with chewing mouthparts which feeds only on cotton. It migrated northward from Mexico into the US in the late 1800's and had infested cotton all the way to Virginia by 1922. This 1/4 inch long beetle caused great changes to occur in the Southern US by destroying the mono-culture cotton economy. Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia farmers were forced to diversify. Mississippi farmers went into timber and cattle production, Alabama and Georgia farmers began to raise peanuts as a result of the boll weevil damage to cotton. Alabama farmers erected a statue in honor of the boll weevil in Enterprise, Alabama.
Happy Bugging!
Dr. Michael R. Williams
Entomology & Plant Pathology
Box 9775
Mississippi State, MS 39762-9775
phone - 601-325-2085
home - 601-323-5699
FAX - 601-325-8837