See Also

Boll weevil

The boll weevil is a beetle Beetle

Beetles are the most diverse group of insect [i]s. ... 

 measuring an average length of six millimetres . The insect crossed the Rio Grande Rio Grande

Known as the Rio Grande in the United States [i] and as the Ro Bravo in Mexico [i], the river [i] ... 

 near Brownsville, Texas Brownsville, Texas

Brownsville is a city in Cameron County [i], Texas [i], United States [i]. ... 

 to enter the United States United States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

 from Mexico Mexico

The United Mexican States, generally known as Mexico is a country [i] located in North America [i] ... 

 in 1892 and reached southeastern Alabama Alabama

Alabama is a U.S. state [i] located in the Southern [i] United States [i]. ... 

 in 1915. It remains the most destructive cotton Cotton

Cotton is a soft fiber [i] that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant , a shrub [i] native to the t ... 

 pest in North America North America

North America is a continent [i] in the Earth [i]'s northern hemisphere [i] and almost fully in the western hemisphere [i] ... 

. By the mid 1920s it had entered all cotton growing regions in the U.S. On December 11, 1919, the citizens of Enterprise, Alabama Enterprise, Alabama

Enterprise is a city in Coffee County [i], Alabama [i], United States [i]. ... 

 erected a monument to the boll weevil Boll Weevil Monument

When the citizens of Enterprise, Alabama [i] erected a monument to the boll weevil it was ... 

, the pest that devastated their fields but forced residents to end their dependence on cotton and to pursue mixed farming and manufacturing.

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Encyclopedia

The boll weevil is a beetle Beetle

Beetles are the most diverse group of insect [i]s. ... 

 measuring an average length of six millimetres . The insect crossed the Rio Grande Rio Grande

Known as the Rio Grande in the United States [i] and as the Ro Bravo in Mexico [i], the river [i] ... 

 near Brownsville, Texas Brownsville, Texas

Brownsville is a city in Cameron County [i], Texas [i], United States [i]. ... 

 to enter the United States United States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

 from Mexico Mexico

The United Mexican States, generally known as Mexico is a country [i] located in North America [i] ... 

 in 1892 and reached southeastern Alabama Alabama

Alabama is a U.S. state [i] located in the Southern [i] United States [i]. ... 

 in 1915. It remains the most destructive cotton Cotton

Cotton is a soft fiber [i] that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant , a shrub [i] native to the t ... 

 pest in North America North America

North America is a continent [i] in the Earth [i]'s northern hemisphere [i] and almost fully in the western hemisphere [i]... 

. By the mid 1920s it had entered all cotton growing regions in the U.S.

On December 11, 1919, the citizens of Enterprise, Alabama Enterprise, Alabama

Enterprise is a city in Coffee County [i], Alabama [i], United States [i]. ... 

 erected a monument to the boll weevil Boll Weevil Monument

When the citizens of Enterprise, Alabama [i] erected a monument to the boll weevil it was ... 

, the pest that devastated their fields but forced residents to end their dependence on cotton and to pursue mixed farming and manufacturing.

The infestation led to the introduction of the peanut Peanut

The peanut or groundnut is a species in the legume [i] family Fabaceae [i] native to South America [i] ... 

, an alternative crop popularized by the Tuskegee Institute Tuskegee University

Tuskegee University is an American institution of higher learning located in Tuskegee [i] ... 

's George Washington Carver George Washington Carver

sources need to be cited within this article
... 

. Peanut cultivation not only returned vital nutrients to soils depleted by cotton cultivation, but also proved a successful cash crop for local farmers.

By mid-1921, the boll weevil had entered South Carolina South Carolina

South Carolina is a state [i] in the Southern [i] region of the United States [i]... 

. In a 1939 interview for the Federal Writers' Project Federal Writers' Project

The Federal Writers' Project was a United States [i] federal government project to fund written work and ... 

, South Carolina native Mose Austin recalled that his employer was adamant "He don't want nothin' but cotton planted on de place; dat he in debt and hafter raise cotton to git de money to pay wid." Austin let out a long guffaw before recounting, "De boll weevil come...and, bless yo' life, dat bug sho' romped on things dat fall." Austin remembered that the following spring, his employer insisted on planting cotton in spite of warnings from his wife, his employees, and government agricultural experts:

De cotton come up and started to growin', and, suh, befo' de middle of May I looks down one day and sees de boll weevil settin' up dere in de top of dem little cotton stalks waitin' for de squares to fo'm. So all dat gewano us hauled and put down in 1922 made nuttin' but a crop of boll weevils.


"Always Agin It," Place Chapin, South Carolina, John L. Dove, interviewer, January 24, 1939. American Life Histories, 1936–1940


The next year, Austin's employer tried the same ill-fated experiment. Ultimately, the man lost his farm and moved with his disgruntled wife to California California

California is a state [i] spanning the southern half of the west coast [i] ... 

.

The boll weevil contributed to the economic woes of Southern farmers during the 1920s, a situation exacerbated by the Great Depression Great Depression

The Great Depression was a worldwide economic downturn [i] which started in 1929 and lasting ... 

.

Following World War II World War II

World War II, or the Second World War, was a worldwide [i] conflict [i] fought betwe ... 

 the development of new pesticide Pesticide

The U.S Environmental Protection Agency [i] defines a pesticide as "any substance or mixture of substan ... 

s enabled farmer Farmer

A farmer is a person who is engaged in agrarian business [i] by using land. ... 

s to again grow cotton as an economic crop, but at great expense and environmental risk. In 1978 a test was conducted in North Carolina North Carolina

North Carolina is a state [i] in the Southeastern [i] United States [i]... 

 to determine if it was feasible to eradicate the weevil from the growing areas. Based on the success of this, area wide programs were begun in the 1980s to eradicate them from whole regions. These are based on cooperative effort by all growers together with the assistance of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture . The program has been successful in eradicating weevils from Virginia Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is one of the original thirteen colonies [i] of the United States [i] ... 

 and the Carolinas, Georgia Georgia

Georgia may mean:
  • Georgia [i], a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia: **Formerly ... 

    , Florida Florida

    Florida is a U.S. state [i] located in the southeastern [i] United States [i] ... 

    , south Alabama Alabama

    Alabama is a U.S. state [i] located in the Southern [i] United States [i]. ... 

    , California California

    California is a state [i] spanning the southern half of the west coast [i] ... 

    , and Arizona Arizona

    Arizona is a U.S. state [i] located in the Southwestern United States [i]. ... 

    . Efforts are ongoing to eradicate the weevil from the rest of the United States. Continued success is also based on prohibition of unauthorized cotton growing, outside of the program, and constant monitoring for any recurring outbreaks.


Some entomologists Entomology

Entomology is the scientific [i] study of insect [i]s. ... 

 believe that the success of the program is based just as much on the predation Predation

A predator is an animal [i] or other organism [i] that hunts and kills other organisms, called prey ... 

 of the fire ants Red imported fire ant

The red imported fire ant, or simply RIFA, is one of over 280 members of the widespread genus [i]... 

 as on the human eradication efforts.

Trivia


Between 1996 and 2000, the minor league baseball team in Kannapolis, North Carolina Kannapolis, North Carolina

Kannapolis is a city in Cabarrus County [i] and Rowan County [i] ... 

 was called the Piedmont Boll Weevils Kannapolis Intimidators

The Kannapolis Intimidators is a minor league baseball [i] team in Kannapolis, North Carolina [i] ... 

, a nod to the city's heritage as a textile mill town.

A fine restaurant in San Diego is called "The Boll Weevil".
The University of Arkansas at Monticello University of Arkansas at Monticello

The University of Arkansas at Monticello, formerly Arkansas Agricultural and Mechanical College, i... 

's sports teams are known as the Boll Weevils.

The band The Presidents of the United States of America did a song called Boll Weevil Boll weevil

The boll weevil is a beetle [i] measuring an average length of six millimetre [i]s. ... 

 on their 1995 album The Presidents of the United States of America.

Buster Ezell performed a song called The Boll Weevil twice during the Fort Valley Fort Valley, Georgia

Fort Valley is a city located in Peach County, Georgia [i]. ... 

 State College Folk Festival of 1941.

Respected Folk/Blues musician Huddie Ledbetter Leadbelly

Huddie William Ledbetter, better known as Leadbelly , was an American [i] folk [i] ... 

  wrote a song known as The Boll Weevil, or alternatively, De Ballet of De Boll Weevil. This song was also covered by Detroit band The White Stripes The White Stripes

The White Stripes are an American [i] minimalist [i] rock [i] ... 

 on numerous concert occasions.

The singer Elvis Presley Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley (born Elvis Aaron Presley in 1935) was an American musician and actor.... 

 made a reference to a Boll Weevil in his song “Little Sister.”

Nina Simone Nina Simone

Eunice Kathleen Waymon, better known as Nina Simone, was an American [i] singer [i],... 

 scornfully describes the subject of the song "Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter" as having "a mouth like a herd of boll weevils."

The North Mississippi Allstars recorded a "Mississippi Boll Weevil" on their 2006 album Electric blue Watermelon.

A daily passenger train on the Seaboard Air Line Railroad Seaboard Air Line Railroad

The Seaboard Air Line Railroad was an American [i] railroad that existed between the 1880s [i] ... 

 in the 1930s and 1940s along the Carolina coast was known as "The Boll Weevil Express."

Rock band Clutch Clutch

A clutch is a mechanism for transmitting rotation, which can be engaged and disengaged.
... 

 made a reference to a Boll Weevil in the song "Rock n' Roll Outlaw."

Rock bank Indian Ocean recorded a song "Boll Weevil" on their Desert Rain Album.

External links