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Vine weevil question

B3B3 Posts: 24,439
in Plants
Do the grubs move from one container to another or do you only find them where the eggs have been laid?
In London. Keen but lazy.

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  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 9,038
    The grubs have fairly limited mobility as they have tiny legs. They seem to be laid next to a food plant and rely on that having enough root to let them grow and they eat as they move. I'm not sure what happens if the food runs out though but if you leave them in a plant saucer or similar they don't seem to be able to move much so I guess they need to be surrounded by soil to be able to make any progress.
    Tradition is just peer pressure from dead people
  • JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 929
    If you leave them in a saucer on my terrace they don’t have time to move.... the sparrows make sure of that😂😂
  • B3B3 Posts: 24,439
    That's good news -I hope!
    Just a few nibbled leaves on a rose bush last year and I've found some grubs in a fairly isolated container nearby. 
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 50,197
    I think that makes sense @wild edges. It's why they're more deadly in containers. They're literally 'contained'. If you can get them out now @B3, the birds will hoover them up and you might be able to keep on top of it.

    Do you get a lot of bother with them @Jacquimcmahon, as you're all 'potted up'?

    At least if you're confined to barracks over there, you'll have plenty of time for surveillance  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 2,133
    When the grubs turn into the beetle, it is the  beetle that moves around, mainly at night. They are flightless, crawl fairly slowly and are oval in shape, and a dull brown black colour. They hide under pots etc. during the day so a strong thumb or large, heavy shoe is useful.
  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 2,133
    PS The only treatment which seems to deal with them is Provada which needs to be applied every 6 weeks continuously if you are affected by them. The grubs arrive in potted plants bought in GCs. Soaking the rootballs in the above overnight seems to help. Perhaps the beetles drown, I have no idea. They love fuschias and the corms of begonias.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 9,038
    Provado is a banned product in the UK as it is very harmful to bees and other pollinators.
    Tradition is just peer pressure from dead people
  • B3B3 Posts: 24,439
    Someone gave me a present of a rose and I noticed the tell tale nibbles on a couple of the leaves, but didn't spot any weevils. They were obviously there😐
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    When you see the adults pottering about, it seems impossible that they could reach so many places, but they do. I put a layer of fairly coarse grit on top of the soil in my containers and it isn't foolproof but it does seem to help.
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