In the spring, adult boll weevils emerge from a partly dormant state and deposit between about 100 and 300 eggs in cotton buds or fruit. The females do not deposit their eggs in cotton bolls already visited by another female at least until most of the bolls are infested. An average of two or three weeks is required for an egg to develop into an adult; thus, there may be from two to ten generations each year.

The larvae live entirely within the cotton boll, destroying not only the seeds but also the surrounding fibres. Because the larvae and pupae remain inside the cotton bolls for their entire period of development, the application of insecticides at this time is useless.

The boll weevil occurs in North America in almost every area where cotton is cultivated. It entered the United States from Mexico in the 1890s, causing much damage. It is estimated that between 3,000,000 and 5,000,000 bales of cotton are destroyed annually by this pest. It has been said that the boll weevil infestation caused many farmers to realize that they should diversify their crops rather than be totally dependent on cotton. Control programs include early destruction of cotton stalks, cleanup of hibernating areas, seed treatments, early planting, and the development of early maturing and rapid fruiting varieties of cotton.