Talkback: Vine weevil control - Talkback

24/04/2010 at 09:00

Kate - when you repot your orange add a thick layer of gravel over the compost. The vine weevils won't be able to lay their eggs. Thanks for the pesticide info. Dot

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24/04/2010 at 12:17

I found out years ago that any trouble from vine weevil came into my garden from nursery or gift plants from friends so now all are washed of their compost and transferred to scrupulously clean pots with new compost - cheaper in the end than taking short-cuts. The old compost is consigned to the compost heap which earths up potatoes when done. So far I have not had to buy nematodes. Good husbandry usually pays well so, as rain is forecast through the night, I shall be up early tomorrow morning looking for slugs to remove from my sugar-peas, lettuce etc.

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25/04/2010 at 09:34

I've just found my first lavae in my old strawberry pot (yesterday)....I painstakingly went through all the old compost removing the grubs and then thoroughly cleaned my pot (replenishing with new compost) - can I assume that as the grubs were in one of my pots - all others nearby will also be affected?

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25/04/2010 at 21:14

After a root washing seesion this last week I now have all my pots standing on pot feet in saucers which i will have to keep topped up with water - I've heard this can prevent vine weevils. Lost a couple of plants esp strawberries to them last year!

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26/04/2010 at 08:40

Thanks for the tip Dorothy. I agree with happymarion - good husbandry is indeed the key. I spent the weekend uncovering vine weevil grubs - which I put out for the birds - and squishing hundreds of eggs. Lovejoy I'm afraid all your pots are probably affected. Kate

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27/04/2010 at 08:06

Good luck with the nematodes. They weren't up to the job in my garden. I hate these creatures - I've lost count of the pots and hanging baskets they've ruined...

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29/04/2010 at 08:47

Kate, you said you had squished hundreds of vine weevil eggs. What do they look like? I have spent ages searching for grubs, but wondered whether there might still be eggs lurking in the compost which I can't see.

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29/04/2010 at 09:10

Hi Jane, they look almost like slow-release fertiliser granules: small, round balls. They start off whitey/yellow and turn orange/brown with age. There's a pic of them here

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29/04/2010 at 20:41

I lost quiet a few plants this spring from vine weevil, and as far as I am concerned the fact that the adult weevil has 100's of eggs it's the real culprit and should be killed. birds love the grubs, not so sure about the actual weevil.

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29/04/2010 at 22:54

I've (successfully) used nematodes, but it has to be the right temperature for them to work. There are a newish variety of nematodes that can be used earlier as they're more cold resistant. When you do wash out the grubs..if you do.. put them on the bird table, robins especially love them.

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30/04/2010 at 19:19

vine weevil are a pain, but I found the best time to find the adult is in the evening when they tend to come out of there hiding place to feed on your plants and to lay there eggs, so I go out with a head torch on and a small tub and I pick them off my plants. the best way of disposal is to stand on them, and the grubs if found, go to the birds.

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03/05/2010 at 18:47

i wonder if anyone could help me, i have had a peking willow tree from a cutting that i took myself about 4 years ago, it is now about 12 feet tall, last year i noticed that some of the leaves had been turning black and looking as if they were scorched,but this year it has come back and it has affected half the tree and i just dont know what to do, please is there anything i could do?

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13/05/2010 at 18:19

seem to have sorted vine weevil. but am unsure whether ants are actually harmful to plants or are they just a nuisance. also why don't I have worms in my compost heap ?

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17/05/2010 at 20:41

Hi gardenangel22, Re Vine Weevil and Ants. I had a futchsia plant which I know had weevil, I took it out of the pot and picked all the grubs out, I placed them on a flagstone with the intention of putting my foot on them, by the time I finished hundreds of ants had come out of their nest and were busy removing them. Within minutes the lot had disappeard. I washed the roots of the plant and it recovered in no time. I killed a vine weevil in my greenhouse using my trowel. 20 minutes later I noticed the front end of a weevil walking along my staging. Horrible!

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07/06/2010 at 14:04

I have just emptied a large pot ready for new summer plants....it's riddled with grubs and ants...I have a huge community of both in the same pot. Are there any plants they DON'T like? My Hosta's seem to be ok?

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08/07/2010 at 18:58

Good call Kate - there's a free report on the Buglife website about neonicotinoid pesticides and how they affect bees, butterflies and non-target insects. Imidacloprid, thiacloprid, acetamocloprid etc - all bad news, and stay in the soil for ages. The regulatory system lets us down I'm afraid!

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13/07/2010 at 07:59

I think I have an OCD with Vine weevils, found the grubs in my strawberrys and house leeks, I think im going mad going round the garden at dusk with my torch , This is a one woman war !

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09/05/2011 at 18:50

My first experience of vine weevils, where do the little devils come from,we only had two small house pot plants, they have been outed but the weevils are still appearing indoors,crunching them is effective but prevention would be better.

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10/05/2011 at 22:12

I've found vine weevil larvae & eggs in my compost bin. Wasn't sure what they were so I sent a photo to the local radio gardening programme who confirmed it. The expert said i need to turn my compost more - anyone know how you turn compost properly with one of those Dalek style compost bins?

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09/06/2011 at 11:53

Since mid-may I've found 199 vine weevils in my strawberry and raspberry containers! I've never managed to find any at night, so I trap them by leaving pieces of thin black plastic tube amongst the plants, and by feeling carefully up under the container rims. UGH! Thought I had the problem under control- but once you've got them, it seems you never get rid of them all. Worst pest I've encountered in 60 years of gardening-and so invisible, until your plants die.