Desiccation and high temperatures have been reported as major determinants of natural mortality of immature boll weevils. However, direct examination of these mechanisms is effectively precluded by the difficulty of manipulating temperature and desiccation independently. Thus, the mechanisms involved in natural mortality are not well understood. Desiccation is reported to act by rendering the square unfit for larval consumption, resulting in starvation. Therefore, we examined the impact of food removal on larval survival and development to indirectly assess the role of food deterioration in natural mortality. Four hundred twenty-four 3^rd instars ranging in weight from 1.81 to 34.43 mg were removed from squares and held without food. No larvae weighing <5 mg survived to the pupal stage while a high proportion of larvae weighing >5 mg survived to the pupal and adult stages (86% and 81%, respectively). When only larvae >5 mg were considered, the proportion of larvae surviving to subsequent stages was not related to larval weight. Our results question the status of food deterioration as a primary mechanism of natural mortality, and provide insight to future efforts to investigate this important phenomenon.