The boll weevil pheromone trap is a critically important tool in boll weevil population monitoring and management, but much remains to be learned regarding the factors influencing pheromone production by male weevils and their repercussions to trapping efforts. Standard methods of measuring boll weevil pheromone production rely on relatively large groups of weevils and assume that most or all of the pheromone produced is present in the frass. We devised and evaluated a technique to monitor pheromone production by individual weevils, using an adsorbent to collect pheromone from the air around the weevil (headspace). Pheromone recovery efficiency of the method was about 95%. Pheromone production indicated by frass extractions was similar to that in previous reports. However, measurements of pheromone from the headspace indicated that pheromone in the frass represents a small fraction of the total pheromone produced, and that the boll weevil can produce a much larger amount of pheromone than was previously recognized. In addition, use of our technique allowed detection of pheromone production at an earlier weevil age than is typically reported. Our techniques appear uniquely suitable for monitoring boll weevil pheromone production and should prove invaluable in further investigations of the ecology and management implications of boll weevil pheromone production.