Dr. D.D. “Dick” Hardee, a legend in cotton growing circles for his leadership in the development of the boll weevil pheromone trap, died this week at 77 in Greenville, Mississippi.
The pheromone trap played a major part in the battle and eventual eradication of the boll weevil across the U.S. Cotton belt.
A native Texan, he began work at the Boll Weevil Research Lab in 1964 at Mississippi State University.
“As an internationally recognized entomologist, Dr. Hardee’s work changed the cotton industry forever. Dr. Hardee will be remembered for his contributions to eradicating a costly insect from the United States” said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden. “His legacy lives on in all of the cotton farmers across the Cotton Belt who still use the boll weevil trap today.”
Graveside services will be at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30 at the Smith Funeral Home, Greenville, Mississippi.
