Welcome

Welcome to the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Program web site. This site has been developed to provide information to cotton producers and the general public about the process and progress of boll weevil eradication across the state.

Protect Your Investment When Moving Equipment

Inspection for the movement of regulated articles within Texas is not required, but may be obtained upon request by contacting the Foundation at 800-687-1212. The number is answered, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. After hours, you may leave a message or call your local TBWEF office.

Cotton harvesting equipment and other equipment associated with the production and transport of cotton, as well as gin equipment, may be moved to or through a restricted area provided the equipment is free of hostable material, seed cotton and boll weevils in any stage of development by one the following methods:

a. removal by hand;
b. high-pressure air cleaning;
c. high pressure washing; or
d. fumigation of regulated articles as prescribed by the Texas Department of Agriculture.

2012 Program Year End Summary

The Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation (TBWEF) completed a successful year in 2012. Boll weevil eradication activities were carried out in all Texas and eastern New Mexico cotton fields, on a total of approximately 6.7 million certified land cotton acres.  For the year, boll weevils were captured in only three of the sixteen Texas eradication zones.  Of the three remaining zones, boll weevil numbers were reduced substantially in the South Texas Winter-Garden (STWG) zone and the Southern Blacklands (SBL) zone.  The Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) zone captured approximately the same number of boll weevils in 2012 as were captured in 2011.

West Texas Zones

In the 5.89 million land acres that make up the 11 West Texas zones in 2012, there were no boll weevils captured and there were no acres treated.  All 11 West Texas zones have been declared functionally eradicated.

 
South and East Texas Zones

The South and East Texas zones planted approximately 890,000 acres in 2012.  All boll weevils captured in the state of Texas and all acres treated were within these zones in 2012.  Through the first part of December 2012, there were 208,678 weevils captured compared to 209,294  captured in 2011.   Only three of the five zones captured weevils in 2012.  The Upper Coastal Bend zone and the Northern Blacklands zone did not capture a weevil in 2012.  The number of acres treated in two of the South and East Texas zones decreased in 2012.  The Southern Blacklands zone treated 60,752 acres in 2011 and treated 3,902 in 2012.  The South Texas Winter Garden zone treated 42,651 acres in 2011 and treated 21,491 in 2012.  The increase in treatments occurred entirely in the LRGV.

 In the STWG zone, 34 weevils were captured in 2012 compared to 174 weevils captured in 2011, or an 80.4 percent reduction in boll weevil numbers.  Most of the weevils captured in STWG were captured near the border with the LRGV zone.  In SBL, 2 weevils were captured in 2012 compared with 28 in 2011, or a 92.8 percent reduction in boll weevil numbers.  The 2 weevils were captured in separate months with the last capture occurring in July. The Foundation failed to find any fields with reproduction in SBL during the 2012 season.

 The Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas decreased their acreage 27 percent in 2012.  Boll weevil numbers remained relatively the same with 208,642 weevils in 2012 to 209,092 in 2011.  Acreage treated for boll weevils also increased from 780,027 acres in 2011 to 899,870 in 2012.   The LRGV zone continues to experience challenges in the program.  Some of the high weevil count fields are located in drug trafficking areas and there are safety issues associated with trap inspection and treatment.  Most weevil captures are occurring in the border area along the Rio Grande River.  Northern Mexico did not plant cotton in 2009 and the LRGV experienced greatly reduced numbers at that time.  Since then weevil numbers have failed to decrease substantially.  The National Cotton Council has initiated an International Technical Advisory Committee to improve communication and enhance program progress on both sides of the border.