Pollen contamination of boll weevil traps

Abstract The boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boheman, has been the most devastating insect pest of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., in the southern United States of America (USA). Although thought to feed only on cotton, the list of non-cotton alternative food sources increases yearly. Many of these taxa are thought to be contaminates and not food sources. The purpose of this research was to examine the possibility that weevils become contaminated with pollen while sitting in the trap. Between January and April, boll weevil traps were placed near Brownsville and Weslaco (a substitute location) and in Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge, Texas. Pollen was removed from the trap's pole, skirt, mesh cone, and lid by wiping them with an individual, sterile, 100% cellulose acetate filter. The original trap was replaced with a replacement trap that was left for three days, then wiped for pollen. Little pollen was found on the trap parts regardless of the month or the site. The mesh cone was the least contaminated. From thes...