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| Vine Weevil |
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The vine weevil is one of the most troublesome of the weevils, as their larvae damage the roots of a wide range of pot plants, e.g. begonia, cyclamen and fuchsia.
Vine weevil has become a more frequent pest with the switch to containerised plant production.
The adult;
The adult weevils are matt black with small, yellowish-brown flecks on their wing cases, however they are unable to fly because their wings are fused together.
Adult weevils all are female and each can lay 1,000 eggs, so locating and killing adult weevils is a good preventative method of limiting the damage.
They are generally nocturnal feeders, hiding in the soil or in plant debris during the day.
Their presence can be recognized by the irregular notching on leaf edges, particularly those nearest to the soil, and on the innermost portions of the plant.
Outdoors, the adults eat the leaves of rhododendrons and other ornamental plants and also damage strawberries and raspberries.
Good garden hygiene may reduce the number of hiding places, and a persistent insecticide, such as BHC, applied as a dust or spray to foliage, soil or potting composts, gives reasonable control.
The Larvae;
The larvae are highly destructive.
They feed on roots and bark, causing foliar symptoms of poor colour and growth.
Severely damaged plants often wilt and die.
The legless C-shaped larvae are creamy white with a brown head and grow up to 10mm long.
One generation of pupation occurs in the soil each year.
Vine weevil can be controlled biologically by treating with nematodes, which are watered into the potting compost.
These remains active at soil temperatures over 5°C (40 °F)
An alternative treatment is to use suitable systemic insecticides.
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