Vine Weevil

Vine Weevil – Aren’t they pretty!

Vine weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus)

I’ve noticed over the last few weeks in particular vine weevils on the back wall of my house. Over this period I have counted 20 or so and this is quite unusual. They say if you see one there are thousands of others around the same area. On close inspection around the garden I have noticed their presence; many of the shrubs have evidence of this little pest.
They are certainly not a pretty pest, they come from the beetle family, and they are about 9mm long, dull black with pear shaped bodies and have long distinctive noses. Even the name is a bit creepy!
Adult weevils do cause leaf damage but they do not normally effect the plants growth. Weevils cannot fly but they are prolific climbers and this is where if I run into them in past weeks. They in fact move quite slowly so they are easy to catch and place elsewhere. Vine weevils attack a wide range of plants with tough waxy leaves, such as laurel, bay, Viburnum, ornamental ivy, and of course, grape vines.
Adults eat notches out of the sides of the leaves; the soil-living larvae can kill pot plants by biting the roots off below the surface.
It’s not the adult that we must be careful of its their young! Vine weevil grubs attack plants growing in pots or other containers, out of doors or under cover, can be severely affected by vine weevil grubs. Plants growing in the open ground are less likely to be damaged, although the grubs sometimes kill strawberries, primulas, polyanthus, Sedum, Heuchera and young yew plants.
The adult weevils feed on the foliage of many herbaceous plants and shrubs, especially Rhododendron, evergreen Euonymus, Hydrangea, Epimedium, Bergenia, Primula and strawberry.