The influence of trap placement on colonization of early-season cotton by the boll weevil was examined in a replicated field study. Paired trap placements (1 m and approximately 10 m from the outermost row of cotton) constituted a replication. A total of 14 replications were established on either the northern (8 replications) or western (6 replications) sides of cotton fields in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. These sides were selected so the traps would be downwind from cotton given prevailing wind direction. Each week, two 20-m sections of row centered on each trap were sampled using a pneumatic (KISS) sampler. One of the sampled rows was randomly selected from rows 1-3, while the other was selected from rows 5-7. The same rows were not sampled on consecutive weeks. Also, phenology was monitored based on inspections of two plants in each sampled row. For analysis, a given sample area was considered infested if a weevil was recovered from either sample row. The probability of infestation was modeled as a binomial distribution using trap position and plant phenology as explanatory variables. Although results are preliminary, analyses indicated trap position did not influence weevil colonization during pinhead and matchhead phenological stages. However, for vegetative plant stages the probability of infestation associated with the 1-m trap placement (0.41) was increased compared with that of the 10-m trap placement (0.12). The potential consequences of trap-influenced colonization to eradication programs are discussed.