Am I safe to assume they’re gone? (Vine weevil)

[Mykittensmittens]

I had a real issue with vine weevil last year. It was our first summer in a new house with established garden but the little gits invaded all my patio pots, wall pots, and a beautiful enamel tub I’d filled with succulents. All died and all had to go in the bin.

I only ever saw one adult and that was at the end of the summer as I was lifting my dahlias from pots. I’ve overwintered the tubers in a box so am confident no grubs in there.

The only thing I rescued was a potted fig tree which I tipped out, cleaned the roots off (no sign of the white grubs) and treated with nematodes.

There was also one geranium and three cordilynes (sp) which weren’t affected. I treated them with chemical stuff anyway.

We also have massive beds full of perennial shrubs including heuchera (weevils preferred snack apparently) but no sign of damage. How do I know there are no larvae in there though? They are far too big to treat.

I’m planning my summer garden now and probably will get some plugs to bring on in the greenhouse in a few weeks and I’ve got windowsills full of germinating seeds.

I’m really quite anxious to know I’ve dealt with the issue. One adult weevil can lay hundreds of eggs. How can I make sure I’ve dealt with the problem to conclusion?

Do a preventative watering of everything in pots again this year - especially anything new you bring into the garden. Keep a close eye out for any leaf damage on garden plants in the ground (it is really easy to spot as I'm sure you've found out), and if you see any, give those plants a dose as well.

As above. I drench with nematodes twice a year. After a similar experience to yours I just don't take the chance any more. And still keep an eye out for them.

They are far more likely to go for post than beds. But keep an eye on the heucharas and maybe drench them too.

Okay I’ll nematode again when the temperatures come up. Shame it’s so expensive!! I needed 2 packs to just do the pots I had at the time and I’m not convinced they worked. The dahlia found the adult on was one is blitzed and there were grubs in the pot too.

@JustJam4Tea did your efforts pay off? Did you have them the second year?

I’m convinced I got them from a bargain lot of potted dahlias I got from the sick bay at b&q around July time.

Yes all under control now. Fingers crossed. I’ve got a lot of pots some very established so it’s cheaper than replacing…I might miiss the occasional spring now..

I could weep. Seriously.

I’ve just spent most of today planting up some lavender in pretty pots, I’ve also got 8 ‘special’ roses in pots on my steps and about 50 small pots with cuttings in the greenhouse to be put out later.

Bit of time left and I thought I’d repot 3 hostas which were in old manky plastic pots into some nice ceramic ones. Hosta one and two done no problem, I use the wheelbarrow as a sort of mobile potting bench.

Hosta 3 - full of f-ing live vine weevil grubs. Big fat tossers - over a dozen of them.

I feel like I’m never going to win this battle and all my effort is just eaten.

No matter what I do I’ll never get rid of every last grub, which will then become an adult and lay a million more eggs.

I am feeling so defeated. And grumpy!

Your garden sounds beautiful.

I had a pot of strawberries. I thought the squirrels had been digging on them as we're overrun with them and they like to Bury their nuts. All the strawberries had died off you see.

You can see where I'm going, can't you? Yes, vine weevil. Why I didn't twig as I've lost strawberries this way before. The strawberries aren't the issue for me as I am ovverun with them too at my allotment so I have plenty to rehome or compost. The problem is ALL my other pots.

Nb I've literally just found my weevils. Am having a fortifying tea then I'm back out there to get rid. And then I saw your post so I am joining the moan as no one else here cares.

So what to do??

I’ve used a nematode drench twice last year which cost an absolute fortune. On non edibles, in despair, I used the vile chemical stuff on my roses in pots. I lifted all the dahlias and took them back to tubers. I threw away all my geraniums which I normally would have overwintered.

The only thing left in pots was the roses, drenched in pesticide, the hostas, ditto, and some cordyline. I can’t understand where the bastards have come from since last autumn.

I have massive beds. Massive. I don’t know what to do if the bastards are coming from there. The garden is 150ft long and has 4 beds which are all 5ft deep and full of plants.

Last year I lost almost everything in a pot - geraniums, succulents, aeonium, million bells, begonias, sweet William, salvia, fuschia, tons and tons, lots of which i’d grown from seed. It all went in the bin when I found pot after pot infested.

I drenched the rest in nematodes after inspecting the roots and washing off.

But still I’m infested.

I just don’t know what else to do.

@TheSpottedZebra my strawberries are in a pot in a coldframe some distance (30ft?) from offending patio area. Only in the coldframe to prevent pillaging. I am hoping they are okay. I also have 20 off-shoot baby strawberries in the greenhouse which again, I hope are okay.

I can’t believe I lost/ditched/blasted everything we have last autumn and still the bastards are there. Looking mighty fat and happy. Until I put them on the bird table.

Oh god you poor thing, you lost so much and did so much to combat them!

I found them today in another pot of strawberries and in some thyme. Fine. As I said I have loads of strawbs in the ground at my allotment. The thyme I'm not too worried about as I have others and it was my least favourite. But I also lost some fuchsia which were a cutting from my late dad, so there is no getting that back .

It's also the waste of compost that annoys me! And obviously wondering where else they are. I'd check your strawberries too, as they seem to be on all the lists of their favourite plants.

Okay so hear this theory out….

The grubs turn into adults and emerge from the warming soil in the spring, late April/May. Spend all summer munching leaves and then lay eggs in pots, usually. The grubs then spend all autumn getting fat and happy and go into a state of sort of half hibernation all winter while the adults die off in the cold. Spring comes, the grubs wake up and ruin your roots a bit more before emerging as adults…..etc etc etc.

So NOW we would expect to find lots of fat overwintered larvae but no adults, YET.

So surely if I drench the pots now with systemic killer I have broken the cycle before the adults emerge? Surely?

I then wait a couple of weeks and nematode the strawberries and fig tree?

Then repeat that whole cycle again in September?

But what about if the bastards are in the beds? Or coming swaggering over from next door? Apparently a weevil can move miles.

I feel so defeated.

@TheSpottedZebra I am so sorry you have them too. Have they all been in pots? At least you have your allotment. Can you not salvage the fuschias by washing the roots or taking cuttings?

I don’t hate many things in this world, but I really do hate these little destructors so much.