Laboratory studies were conducted to examine reproductive development in overwintered female boll weevils fed cotyledon and 4-leaf stage cotton plants for 4, 7, and 10 d, respectively. Compared with baseline dissections, all but one of the feeding regimes (4-leaf stage plant for 4 d) significantly increased the percentage of weevils containing oocytes with yolk. All feeding regimes significantly increased the total complement of eggs (developing oocytes and chorionated eggs) present in weevils. The largest complement of eggs occurred in weevils fed cotyledon stage plants for 10 d, followed by those fed cotyledon plants for 7 and 4 d, then by those fed 4-leaf stage plants for 10, 7, and 4 d. None of the feeding regimes, however, significantly increased the percentage of weevils with chorionated eggs, or the mean number of chorionated eggs per weevil. Significant differences among treatments, in terms of chorionated egg production, may have been obscured by the variability between runs and the fact that some weevils may have oviposited prior to dissection. Nonetheless, our study demonstrated that female weevils could acquire a substantial level of reproductive development in the absence of fruiting cotton.