Gossypium
Guides
Anthonomus grandis
Cotton Boll Weevil, Boll Weevil
Anthonomus grandis, the cotton boll weevil, is a beetle in the family Curculionidae and a historically destructive pest of cotton (Gossypium spp.). Native to Central America, it spread into the United States in the late 19th century and infested all U.S. cotton-growing regions by the 1920s, causing severe economic damage to the cotton industry. Extensive eradication programs have eliminated populations from most of the United States, though persistent populations remain in extreme South Texas and northern Mexico that threaten reinfestation of adjoining areas. The species also remains a critical pest in South America.