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Do toads eat vine weevil grubs?

B3B3 Posts: 25,298
in Wildlife gardening
I've been excavating a very large container that had mint and self seeded primulas  excavations have stopped until a resident toad moves on.
I also discovered a single vine weevil grub. There doesn't seem to ,be any more but I have chucked all the plants apart from a bit of mint in the council bin.
Has the toad been eating them?
No VW damage noticed anywhere else last year. Will isolate the barrow of old compost. Plenty of fat worms to attract the birds.
In London. Keen but lazy.
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  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 10,345
    Apparently they do
    I found this - 

    Non-chemical control

    Both vine weevil adults and grubs have numerous natural predators – including birds, frogs, ground beetles, hedgehogs and toads – so do what you can to encourage these into your garden.


    From here-
    https://www.notcutts.co.uk/garden-advice/problems-pests/vine-weevil/#:~:text=Both%20vine%20weevil%20adults%20and,onto%20the%20compost%20or%20soil.
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • B3B3 Posts: 25,298
    That's good. It scares the BJs out of me when a 'stone'  moves
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 10,345
    😂 I know what you mean!
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • B3B3 Posts: 25,298
    Looks like he's not going anywhere. I've covered him back up. No rush to empty it. Always happy to procrastinate.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 10,345
    Perhaps he's digesting all the vine weevil grubs he's eaten
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • KeenOnGreenKeenOnGreen Posts: 1,794
    They would eat them if they saw them, but as they are mostly buried under the soil (and usually in pots rather than in the ground), I doubt if frogs/toads eat many grubs. The adult beetles are out during the night and above ground, so I think it's more likely that it's those that get eaten.
  • B3B3 Posts: 25,298
    Whatever works😉 
    He was a few inches under the soil but not far enough down for the grubs.
    Anyway, I'll leave him in peace.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • LynLyn Posts: 22,012
    I picked 100+ vine weevils out of 6 flower pots with strawberry plants in them.  Put them out for the birds,  the squirrel scoffed the lot.
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • B3B3 Posts: 25,298
    They're not all bad then😉
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • zugeniezugenie Posts: 807
    When I was sorting out the garden ready for moving I empties an open bag of compost on the garden and was surprised to find a toad had moved in there! I felt so bad that I’d unceremoniously dumped him on the garden.
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