The Boll Weevil on the Nile

I don't know if this has ever been discussed before but here it goes.

What would have been the consequences of the boll weevil jumping the pond and making its way to the cotton fields of Egypt at around the beginning of the American Civil War? Would Indian cotton have been sufficient to keep the British textile industry from collapsing? Regardless of the effect in Europe I believe this would have provoked intense paranoia and a diversion of resources in the Confederacy.

I'm not too familiar with the life cycle of the boll weevil or if it even can feed on the type of cotton that was grown in Egypt, so I don't know if this would be possible.
 
I'm not too familiar with the life cycle of the boll weevil or if it even can feed on the type of cotton that was grown in Egypt, so I don't know if this would be possible.

Well then, you've got your work cut out for you don't you. Better start researching right now. Please return when you have an answer and present it in the form of an essay not exceeding 2500 words.

You will be checked for accuracy.
 
Well then, you've got your work cut out for you don't you. Better start researching right now. Please return when you have an answer and present it in the form of an essay not exceeding 2500 words.

You will be checked for accuracy.

Well, that's not very nice.

Anyways, to actually answer the OP's question, no it isn't very plausible. The boll weevil didn't even reach the US until the 1890s, and that was with no water barrier or need to survive a ship passage (the weevil--over its whole lifespan, from egg to fully grown adult--lives about 3 weeks during the summer, their active period where they are likely to be transported). Since they feed on immature cotton buds, there is no possibility for them to migrate via transport within cotton bales (for instance). Heck, they hit Paraguay and Argentina less than 20 years ago!
 
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