VINE WEEVIL

[Deleted]

Thanks for the reminder biggles - had a bad infestation earlier this year and definitely don't want a repetition!! ... cheers ...

[MamIDdau]

Have a look at this Dutchy, I emailed the makers of the vine weevil killer people.

May 24, 2007 17:49:13 GMT MamIDdau said:

Response from Bayer

Provado Vine Weevil Killer 2 is only registered for use in pots and containers as for effective control of the vine weevil grubs and plant root damage it is essential to get the right concentration of product around the plants roots. It is not possible to achieve this in the open ground without causing an environmental hazard, consequently use in the open ground is not permitted. The only treatment that can be used in an open ground situation is Nemasys nematodes but usually root damage is less critical as there is more space for the roots and more predators to reduce vine weevil populations.

Provado Vine Weevil Killer is a very safe insecticide which is absorbed into the plant roots and prevents vine weevil grubs from feeding. Although hatching eggs and small vine weevil grubs will be killed directly more mature grubs may survive for some time but will no longer be able to damage the plant roots. The product has no effect on earthworms or predatory beetles but since it is absorbed into the plant will give systemic control of plant sucking pests such as aphids. Since there may well be chemical residues in plants with this treatment, it was decided not to carry out the necessary studies to enable consumption of treated plants and, consequently, the product should not be used on any edible plants.

As the adult vine weevils are quite a mobile pest you will continue to find re-invasion from other areas including neighbouring gardens and all we can do is to provide protection against the most damaging aspect of the pest ie root damage in our pots and containers. Treatment of plants does not control the adults or the leaf notching caused by adults. To control adults this can be done by physically trapping them by shaking plants over a sheet or spraying them with a contact insecticide such as Bug Free or Sprayday Greenfly Killer when they are active ie at dusk or during the night.

Biggles, you'll see from their response that Provado doesn't kill the adults. Damn them!!!!

[oldmoleskins]

By way of a pictorial 'ping', I finally got round to repotting a sickly container yew I thought may well be infested, and it was:



and here are the culprits:



I managed to clear the rootball by the sophisticated method of banging it against the trailer side untill all compost (and weevils) had fallen away, washed the pot and refilled with new compost, slowly and carefully, watering a little as I went to try to ensure all the spaces were filled. There's not a trace of the succulent white rootlets a heathy yew should have - the little sods have eaten every scrap - but yews are legends of regereration, and I'm reasonably confident this one will recover.
It had been treated with Provado...

If you're itching to get on with some gardening, but held back by the weather, vineweevil hunting's not a bad sport.

OM.

[Barbara]

i hope you boiled their heads OM,
,i'm sure they are getting worse you know

[Deleted]

OMG OM! That is my first view of a vine weevil grub! YUCK!!!!

[Barbara]

rosemother said:

OMG OM! That is my first view of a vine weevil grub! YUCK!!!!

your lucky RM, they ate all my strawberry plant roots, and my fuschia's roots as well, i killed loads of them,
i squashed them untill i felt queasy, then i poured boiling water on the compost, to kill the rest.

[Barbara]

ps. my hubby thought they were maggots, i can see why.

[Deleted]

Oh, Barbara, I think I'd be sick

[Chuckles]

Just copied these details and pics I did from an old thread for those who aren't familiar with the dreaded VW.





The adult weevil is a black wingless beetle, it hides away in nooks and crannies in your garden during the day. The adults leave tell tale nibbles on the edge of leaves. My tip would be to go out at night with a torch and hunt them out, a tea bag squeezer is a very useful tool ;D. They lay their eggs in the soil/compo and the larvae are a white/creamish grub with a brown head. These grubs eat the roots of the plants and will eat their way right up into the stem of plants and into bulbs, corms, tubers etc until eventually the plant dies. Any grubs found can be squashed if you are lucky enough to spot the tell tale signs, however I would recommend disposing of the compo very carefully or you will spread the problem. I use a large bucket and put water to the top of the compo and leave it for a couple of weeks so they are killed, they normally float to the top. You can then pop the lot in your compost bin for recycling. You should thoroughly wash off any remaining roots to ensure no grubs are left before replanting.

A good off the shelf product to use is Provado, this is a liquid you add to water to treat your pots. It can be used as a preventative or treatment for effect areas.

[Chuckles]

Another find of the little blighters yesterday. Had a pot with 2 Oak Leaf Primroses in that I bought last year and noticed one looked a bit sad. Yes, the pot had got visitors

I emptied the pot out and dumped all the compo in my VW drowning tub ;D Then set to and cleaned all the roots, I was lucky they hadn't quite devoured all the roots and had only attacked one of the plants.

Some good came from it as the plants did need splitting up, I now have 12 plants from 2 ;D Need to pot them up today, I left them in a tray water over night.

[Deleted]

horrid things i use provado in my pots, not had them in the garden though not that i've seen anyway. some useful tips in here thank you

[Chuckles]

I use Provado in some pots too Blacky but it can work out quite expensive depending on how many pots you have. You are right there are some good tips on here

I must remember I have some Oak Leaved Primrose to pot up after finding VW had started to attack them

[Biggles]

I beleive there is compost for sale already 'treated' for the prevention of Vine Weevil. This might work out cheaper in the long run if 'potting up' seedlings and cuttings. It is supposed to last for six months.
GC's sell this compost and it is slightly dearer than 'ordinary compost'

[Deleted]

It works I tried it a few years ago but I think diluting Provido is cheaper and you dont have to repot everything. Just a warning, check your sempervivums, the blackbirds were working at the ones I plant in bricks on top of a low wall, they were full.

[Dutchy]

I knew there is no chemical or bio hazard to kill the grown ups
The grubs get nematodes this summer again.
The up of warm winters might be that the nematodes stay alive and as they live on a staple diet of vine weevil grubs I love the little invisible friends.

The worst thing to see last week?
Vine weevil damage at MssK.

[Barbara]

what was sat on my kitchen table last night, after i had brought my washing in
its flat now, but where the hell did that come from.

[nightowl]

Oh the sneaky little B@ST@RD!!!

(I really hate the way they go crunch!!)

[Barbara]

i had a plant bought for me for easter (indoor) this morning the table had 2 caterpillers on it,
must have come from the plant, i am wondering if the weevil did as well, as it was next to it the plants outside the back door now.

[Tig]

Barbara!!

Couple of years back my daughter bought me a pot with a miniature conifer, ivy and primroses in it for Easter. One by one they died (even the conifer!) and when I emptied the pot it was full of the dreaded grubs
She bought it from a well known DIY store, that also sells barbeques Tig

[Barbara]

think i'll dunk it in water, up to its neck ;D

[Barbara]

i am still finding them in the kitchen, 3 up to now that aren't going to lay eggs.
but i must find out where they're coming from

[Deleted]

My in laws have been bothered for years with VW, no matter how much they treated them, they came back. When next door neighbour was having a new kitchen fitted and had all old units ripped out, they found loads behind, underneath, even at the back of the drawers. Just makes my skin crawl thinking about it.

Good luck Barbara

[Amo]

You sure that was vine weevil?!?!?

I found a grub in a pot I bought home on Tuesday

[Biggles]

When buying Plants or even those given to you--Always check the Pots and soil and see if there are any signs of these horrible grubs. The eggs are so tiny you cant see them with the naked eye--it is only when the grubs start to grow and munch the roots then that is when the damage is done!
I always 'treat' my containers about this time of year whether there are signs of VW or not--Prevention is better than Cure.
If I find any in the soil--I repot the container and dispose of the soil (Bin It) and dont be tempted to use this soil on the compost bin/heap.

[Tig]

You know that sinking feeling when you look at one of your containers and instead of a vibrant, healthy mass of growing plants there is virtually nothing left living

I knew that I had missed this pot with the provado treatment and the dreaded weevil grubs had decimated the lilies which were in it. Attacked it this morning, must have been over 50 grubs in this 10" pot - some of them were at the next stage in development, their brown heads had gone and they had legs wiggling

Sorry the photo isn't better they were transparent ..



Tig

[Jasmine]

I came across my first vine weevils a few days ago in the fuchsias I had over wintered in my mini greenhouse. What revolting things they are. They had wiggly legs like the ones in your photo Tig. I picked out all the ones I could see and left them on the drive for the birds. 10 minutes later they were all moving up the drive and on closer inspection they were being carted off by red ants - 1 or 2 ants to each vine weevil. A bit gross but amazing - that's got rid of some of them - any left overs got 'treated' this morning - Provado looks lethal!

[owdboggy]

Make sure you are using the new formula Provado with Thiacloprid, the older stuff was lethal to bees..
When repotting try to use a non peat based compost, not as good or as easy to use, but vine weevils are not as keen on it as they are on peat.
You can protect single stem plants like shrubs or trees with a plastic mat, cut to fit round the stem where it emerges from the soil. The eggs are laid on the surface, next to where the stem emerges from the soil. If the weevil cannot reach the soil then it does not lay its eggs.

[andy]

I've just sorted out my Begonia tubers ready for the winter. They've been outside so i've removed all the soil from around them, labelled them and got them ready to bring in.

But i have vine weevil.....in one pot, i had over 70 grubs There were a few in other pots too but not many. So im a little bit worried about bringing the tubers in just in case the weevils become beetles in the warmer conservatory and get onto my bananas and gingers.

So is there anything you lovely people use to zap these beasts ? Any suggestions would be most welcome

Andy

[isabella]

They are horrid

I found a few in my Streptocarpus plants so before I brought them inside the house I watered PROVADO onto the compost! hopefully if there were any more they will be taken care of ;D

[Tig]

I use the Provado vine weevil killer 2 - but I have only used it when plants are actively growing, so I don't know how effective it would be at this time of year Andy

x Tig