Talkback: Vine weevils - Talkback

08/04/2009 at 19:19

Here in the West Midlands vine weevils are alive and thriving. Despite every precaution taken with planting, using recommended chemicals etc. nothing deters them from invading every pot I plant up. Favourite plants seem to be heucheras and cyclamen. It breaks your heart to see entire planting arrangements keel over without warning due to the ever-hungry grubs. The only one to benefit is my robin, who is more than happy to tuck in!

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08/04/2009 at 21:18

I'm also very familiar with the old weevil! Only this week I was potting on and clearing my propagation area. In each pot of Ophiopogon (which I must say I detest) were at least two of this wonderful weevil's offspring. They were immediately offered to the birds as food of course! I very rarely kill anything, but I completely agree with you on the issue of weevils and lilly beetle! http://ryans-garden.blogspot.com/ Ryan

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09/04/2009 at 17:20

I have for the first time found the evil weevil larvae in my strawberry planter - a creature that serves no useful purpose whatsoever. I am hoping the nematodes that I have ordered for delivery in May will put an end to these wee beasties!! Container growing is becoming ever more popular and it seems that it is container planting that is the attraction.

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10/04/2009 at 19:38

Vine Weevils alive an well in Scotalnd. ESP on primulas

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10/04/2009 at 19:54

we have these pests in most of our containers.we have a large biscuit tin that fit in our oven and we clear out and replace any affected containers treat them with weevil killer and then each time we use our oven the tin is put in to cook the compost in the remaining heat and it can then be reused

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10/04/2009 at 20:58

Whenever you buy a potted plant from any Garden Centre Check it right away and if it is going to live in its pot and not into your garden REPOT IT with new soil Ihave found tis is the only safe way to keep track of the grubs of the weevil They have been overwintering in the Pots in the Greenhouse as well so check your plants carefully The last few years have been prolific with them ! Does everyone know that the Lily beetle grubs live in black soot spots on the underside of lilies leaves so start looking now and squash them

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12/04/2009 at 13:38

I have found by experimenting over the years that wine weevil beetles dont seem to lay their eggs in gritty soil,so I mix sand and grit into my pot compost and top it off with a layer of gravel .So far this seems to have worked. In my garden they mainly attack fuschias in pots.The above method wouldn't suit acid loving plants though. It was interesting to read other people's way of dispatching the weevil grubs. I too feed the ones I find to the birds and leave the rest of the soil in the wheel barrow for a few days and the birds sift through it all to get any that I have missed.However I still wouldn't risk reusing the soil and use it to mulch the roses and spread on the flower beds.

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12/04/2009 at 16:26

I have them at my allotment and they ate my leeks last year! How do you get rid of them other than squishing them when you have found them?

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14/04/2009 at 12:35

I have just thrown out the remnance of what's left of my geum I have lost so many of my container plants, (ones that were kept from my late mother and very upsetting to lose. I have also tried chemicals as a last resort and nothing works, I certainly don't leave the grubs I bag everything up and down to the tip. I truly hate these things

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14/04/2009 at 20:16

PLEASE DON'T BAG THESE GRUBS & SEND THE TO THE TIP....THEY THEN GET RECYCLED INTO THE COMPOST OR ON TO LAND FILL WHERE THEY BREED AND THE RETURN TO SOME OTHER POOR SAPS GARDEN! IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH ABOUT SQUASHING THEM, PUT THEM INTO A BUCKET OF WATER TO DROWN THEM.LAST YEAR I LOST SOME TWO HUNDRED STRAWBERRY PLANTS TO THE MONSTERS DESPITE CONTINUOUSLY SEARCHING ANDKILLING ALL I FIND.I GARDEN ORGANICALLY BUT THEY ARE NOW MAKING ME FEEL THAT THE ONLY WAY TO GET RID OF THE BEASTS WOULD BE TO REVERT BACK TO CHEMICALS OR PACK IT IN ALTOGETHER!THEY REALLY ARE THE BEETLE FROM HELL!

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15/04/2009 at 09:28

I had a whole strawberry planter of alpine strawberry plants killed off by vine weevil and i used nemetodes to kill off the little blighters. I have a small garden so i used a pack suitable to treat the whole area including planters. This seems to have worked really well as since the problem occured a few years ago I have never been troubled since. This organic method worked far better than any chemical and I didn't have to worry about my kids being in the garden either. Lily beetles though have been a harder problem to deal with as I love lilies but my plants no longer produce great flowers despite squashing every red thug i come across!

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17/04/2009 at 18:49

get out at night with a torch and pick them off your plants and enjoy crushing them.seems to do the trick.

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18/04/2009 at 14:13

Just found a Weevil crawling out of my money plant ( No wonder I'm not winning the Lotto ) is there any way of killing the little critters that are probably in the pot without using chemicals ?

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20/04/2009 at 17:33

Beware!Some areas that one wouldn't class as pots or containers, are regarded as such to a vine weevil. Small squares of cultivation in concrete, or a plant such as sedum spectabile coming up at the base of a wall beside a concrete path = heaven to a vine weevil brood as it is difficult for any bird to get it's beek in!

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22/04/2009 at 12:13

I have vine weevil in my small garden. This year I empted and refilled all my pots and baskets and started a new! I planted beans and peas in large containers and in my haste I think I have watered in the insecticide I bought to keep them off my plants! Please don't tell me that I can't eat my peas and beans? Can any one tell me what is the best thing to do? Hoping for a reply, thank you.

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04/05/2009 at 12:22

i found a vine weevil in my garden i looked it up and made sure it was before i killed it but i live on the wirral and i diddn't think they could be round here ??

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05/05/2009 at 11:29

Reply to everyone. Many thanks for all the comments on vine weevils. They really are everywhere. The usual treatment meted out to them is to douse the pots in a solution containing nematode worms, which then attack and kill the grubs. I don't know how well this works. It is a hopeless task trying to get rid of vine weevils completely. Take a look around any shrubbery and you will see the edges of leaves nibbled to as to look like the perforated edges of stamps. These are the results of the adults feeding at night. They are everywhere.

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08/05/2009 at 12:00

warning the red lily bettle is back, i have killed 16, so keep you eye,s open for them peast

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23/05/2009 at 18:57

Hi How long after using Provado Vine Weevil Killer 2 can you use the pots to grow edible plants in, because I treated all my pots a few months ago and would like to grow my aubergine and lettuces on them?

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11/06/2009 at 10:50

I too have found vine weevil in almost all our pots including tulip pots!I ahd to throw out all the compost & start from scratch.I am planning to put the pots standing on feet in saucers kept filled with water.I understand the beetles don't swim.I have also mixed vaseline with chilli powder & put discretely round pot rims (belt & braces !!) we have a wedding in our garden in september so I'm very determined to keep the blighters from the pots!