WATER CONTENT OF STERILE AND NON-STERILE BOLL WEEVILS AS INFLUENCED BY FEEDING INCREASED LEVELS OF SUCROSE OR COTTON SQUARES

Boll weevils, Anthonomus grandis Boheman were fed an artificial diet containing 100 ppm of diflubenzuron and either 2.5 or 10% sucrose for five days prior to an irradiation dose of 10 krads on day six. After the feeding plus irradiation treatment, the weevils were given cotton squares or artificial diet posttreatment. Treated weevils contained significantly higher levels of water than the control samples for five days posttreatment. In comparisons between the four treatments, feeding squares for the first two days posttreatment resulted in significantly higher water content in half the treatments. Similarly, when comparisons were made between the four controls it was also found that feeding squares resulted in more water in two groups tested. Sugar concentration did not influence water content in boll weevils.