Vine weevil

Gardening to 'grow your own food' from square foot to half an acre !!
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Thomassio
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Vine weevil

Post by Thomassio »

Hi all, I recently filled my raised beds with some free compost. I was warned by the lady that she suspected one of the bags may have some vine weevil in it but as long as I left them uncovered and unplanted for a couple of days, the birds would take care of them.
I left them open for a week to be safe but then I transplanted out some tomatoes and peppers (early I know, but it's covered by a home made polytunnel/cloche and the weather has been great down here in devon all week so I fancied a gamble!)
Today I noticed one of my peppers had been decimated and I actually managed to find the culprit in one scoop around the roots with my hand - and fed him to the ducks!
I just wondered if they are likely to multiply and clean out he whole bed or if I might be lucky enough that it was just a remaining one or two in there?

Thanks.
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lancashire lass
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Re: Vine weevil

Post by lancashire lass »

My experience of vine weevil is that the larvae in the soil (lots of small white grubs, may have a reddish head, usually found within the root ball of established plants rather than randomly dispersed in compost) munch on the roots - but it usually takes a while rather than a few days. Adult weevils emerge from the soil and eat the leaves. When you say decimated, in what way? You may well have vine weevil, but I'm wondering if you have something else. Most likely it may be slugs and snails that are doing the worst damage as they love tender plants at this time of year.
Thomassio
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Re: Vine weevil

Post by Thomassio »

One of my peppers was almost 'sucked' into the ground. I pulled it and it was not attached to the rootball any more. It's as if they felled a mini tree from underground. I'm confident it's vine weevil not only as I scooped it out in my hand immediately under the plant but also because the compost lady warned me she thought there would be a few in there ( she owns a nursery, hence all the free compost)
The leaves were all in tact and I see very very few slugs as the ducks clear them up in no time. I have googled it some more and doesn't seem like there's much I can do. Nematodes keep popping up as a solution but with not very successful outcomes.
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fishpond
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Re: Vine weevil

Post by fishpond »

"I pulled it and it was not attached to the rootball any more"
Sounds like Vine Weevil , could be Cutworm or Chafer grub though.
Have a shufty through the compost and see what you find yike*
Or get a container of clean water, remove a couple of your plants and drown the roots for 12 ish hours, identify what is at the bottom of the container.
You could do this to all the plants, you still need to remove any stragglers from the compost.
The removal from the compost of whatever critters you have, I can not help you with, as I do not know what is available in this enlightened age.
I hope you do not do this again, as next time, who knows what pests /diseases you will import into your garden. {warn}
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Thomassio
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Re: Vine weevil

Post by Thomassio »

Thanks for the reply fishpond, I agree, in hindsight it may prove an enormous mistake but the amount of compost I needed for the raised beds from scratch would have cost me a fortune! Fingers crossed I get away with it but I'm not holding out too much hope presently.
I should add that the critter I scooped out from under the affected plant was a grub type creature and not an adult weevil, a larvae I assume.
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fishpond
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Re: Vine weevil

Post by fishpond »

"I should add that the critter I scooped out from under the affected plant was a grub type creature and not an adult weevil, a larvae I assume."

All three that I have mentioned are all soil living larvae of various creatures.
We learn by our mistakes )t'
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fishpond
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Re: Vine weevil

Post by fishpond »

In hind site, I think that it is Vine Weevil as chafer grubs look like something out of alien (last one I dug up was 2" long yike* , once seen, never forgotten) cutworms tend to work on or just below the surface of the soil.
In my experience Vine weevil larvae have brown heads and creamy bodies.
No problem can withstand the power of continuous thought.
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