Boll Weevil Continues to Hold out in the Valley despite Eradication across the State
RIO GRANDE VALLEY--It's the home stretch on eradicating a pest which has plagued cotton growers for decades here in the valley.
According to the texas boll weevil eradication foundation the Boll Weevil is all but eradicated from the state.
One of the last remaining areas in Texas it can be found is here in the Valley.
Last year, we told you how the pest was about to make one grower lose thousands in potential profits.
According to the Texas boll weevil eradication foundation president, Lindy Patton, the boll weevil numbers in the state are at the lowest they've ever been since the program first started.
With harvest over crews are working locally to eradicate it completely.
"Just making sure there's no source where a weevil can reproduce every plant has to be dealt with," says Patton.
One of the issues Patton says they face in the valley are boll weevils which come from Mexico.
"Weevils don't recognize the border of course and nothing is going to keep them out so they have to control them over there and they are doing a good job of that now we just need to continue to help them and and hopefully guide them," says Patton.
Patton says in the past Tamaulipas didn't have the resources to fight the pest.
Now they are working closely with them to help stop the boll weevil on both sides.
If the pest is completely eradicated from the state, patton says they're next step is to prevent it from ever coming back.