Cotton squares fed upon by boll weevils under field conditions in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas were tagged and observed daily through bloom and boll development. Because large squares (5.5-8-mm-diameter) are preferred as food sources, being conducive to accelerated fecundity in contrast to smaller squares, large squares were used in this study. Unlike oviposition, feeding did not result in abscission of the square. After developing into bolls, however, 37% of the feeding punctures that occurred as squares resulted in a damaged carpal in bolls that were dissected when they developed to 2.75 - 3.25 cm in diameter. The damage typically appeared as a brown stain on a single carpal's otherwise white lint which tended to shrivel, reducing the amount of harvestable lint when the bolls opened. In most instances, the affected carpal was not completely damaged. Because feeding does not cause abscission of squares, most of the punctures were not associated with loss of lint, and damage that did occur to lint was limited to a single carpal.