Vine Weevil belongs to the family Curculionidae under the order Coleoptera. An adult Vine weevil is dull black having welded wing covers, and can’t fly. It’s a nocturnal feeder that damages the outer margins of the leaves and the leaves appear to have serrated margins. The adults damage broadleaf evergreen shrubs and ornamental plants, especially Camellia and Rhododendron, besides, Bergenia, Euonymus, and Hydrangeas species. In absence of a suitable host, it gets attracted to other plant species as well. The foliage feeding weevils are all females that often reproduce without opposite-sex mating. Female Weevils can lay hundreds of eggs during one cropping season. A few flightless adults can also exhibit nocturnal feeding when they have recently passed the larval stage, and their target also remains damaging the foliage of the plants. Adult Vine Weevils remain a potential threat for the horticultural plants through most of the US now.
The vine weevil is native to the UK and Europe and has been established in nurseries, greenhouses, and gardens throughout Australia and North America. It can attack an extensive range of host plants, and the recent prove it could damage more than one species of horticultural and ornamental plants in the United States of America. Whereas, the areas where higher infestations could occur include Northeastern and north-central parts of the US, neighboring part of eastern Canada, and from Alaska south to California.
The adult black vine weevil is dull black with delicate white rays on the hard-shelled body and fused wing covers. The body of an adult is oblong that measures 3/8 of an inch with a short proboscis. All adults are female, and they can't fly. A major distinctive feature is the long rostrum and elbowed antennae. Sometimes, orange clusters of hair are visible on the wing cases. Adult vine weevils' emergence time varies from area to area depending on the temperature fluctuations and the available moisture. However, adults may show from early to late spring in different areas whereas, in coastal areas, they often emerge in April.
Generally, an adult Vine Weevil female reproduces asexually and produces only females that hatch from the eggs. The reproduction process is pretty fast in vine weevils. The adults feed only at night, and they could produce only one generation per year. However, the greenhouse conditions may support multiple generations during this time. A female emerges from the earthen pupation houses in summer. This generation must feed on the foliage of the plants between 3 to 6 weeks before they start laying eggs. After passing the pre-ovipositional period, a female lay several eggs in the leaf litter, mulch, or twigs whatever, hiding is available at the site. They disappear in the daytime near the food source and emerge at night to feed again. An adult female lives about 3-months and could lay about 200-400 eggs during the first year. However, an overwintered female could lay up to 700 eggs during one growing season.
Adults feed on the foliage of the plants and turn the leaves to have serrated margins. They also change the general appearance of the targeted foliage and retard their growth since photosynthesis is highly affected, and nutritional deficiencies could occur due to the limited food synthesis. Legless larvae also feed on the foliage even though they're not motile and preparing for their ovipositional period. Moderate or below average damages are acceptable but, heavy feeding sometimes results in the death of the targeted plants.
Both the temperature and relative humidity are the basis of their arrival in your garden or a greenhouse. Since most greenhouse cultures adopt a temperature range between 60-77°F, there is always a chance that Vine weevils could trigger growth at any time of the year. Similarly, whenever the temperature falls in a similar range, look them around on the foliage in your garden. Adult Vine weevils don't come from anywhere, But these are the conditions that allow them to hatch rapidly. Additionally, the greenhouse culture may have infestations from the stuff from the external source. However, the larva entering the pre-pupal stage could die upon experiencing a surface temperature of about 81°F for three consecutive days.
Besides following the preventive measures if, Adult Vine Weevil infestation goes beyond your control, here are the most authentic ways to keep their population suppressed using the biological, organic, and chemical methodologies;
BotaniGard contains 22% of Beauveria bassiana strain-GHA that germinate on the body of the pests when applied. BotaniGard applications often weaken the chitin of adults and larva and don't let them enter the next phase. Then they penetrate the body of the host and kill them. The entire process almost takes 7 days. Beauveria bassiana is also famous for liberating some toxins such as oxalic acid and bassianin in the body of the pests that act as a natural pest-killing agent. Adult Vine Weevils are also associated with causing the white muscadine disease in the body of the pests.
Add one tablespoon of BotaniGard wet able powder in one gallon of water and spray on both larval and adult stages of Vine Weevil.
Although this product registers for controlling Fungus Gnats, it contains naturally occurring insect-parasitic nematodes, Steinernema feltiae, and research proves that these are entomopathogenic nematodes that are highly effective in controlling the Vine Weevils larval and adult stages. They are released in an infective juvenile condition that searches and destroys the larvae quickly. Once inside the body of the vine weevils, Steinernema feltiae kill them rapidly. Another generation of nematodes reproduces inside the body of the weevils that provides extended control. When applied in the soil for larval control, Steinernema feltiae not only provides prolonged weevils control, it stops re-infestation as well. Its applications are required during the initial stages of larva growth.
50 million nematodes are good for controlling larva in 1000 square areas and adults in 550 square feet.
It’s a concentrated insecticide based on combining 1% of Pyrethrin with 10% of Piperonyl Butoxide that works as an efficacy enhancer and adheres the active ingredient with the surfaces where applied. Pyrethrins derive from the Chrysanthemums flowers with fast biodegradability when exposed to sunlight and rain. Pyrethrins are considered relatively safe compared to synthetic insecticides regarding their residual effects, and perhaps Piperonyl Butoxide used in the formulation of this product stops this product from being listed in OMRI. Anyhow, the product is safe for applying on the foliage of all edible plants for controlling adult vine weevils when they're actively feeding.
Add 2.5 ounces of the product concentrate per gallon of water and apply using a low-pressure mist sprayer on 1000 square of adult vine weevil affected area.
Monterey- Garden Insect Spray contains a mixture of 0.5% Spinosad A and D that derives from a bacterial emulsion after fermentation. It remains non-toxic for all growing cultures and is freely applied in organic gardening throughout the US and Europe. It is also OMRI listed and safe for all edible gardens to the day of harvest. Spinosad mode of action compels the insects to trigger muscle contraction that leads to paralysis and death, finally.
Add 2 ounces of the product concentrate in one gallon of water, and thoroughly apply on the foliage of the plants when Vine weevil adults damage is feared.
Gordon's Zylam contains 10% Dinotefuran, a recently developed insecticide in the neonicotinoid class which possesses a systemic mode of action. It effectively kills all foliage-feeding insect pests, including adult vine weevil, whiteflies, aphids, and thrips on the vegetables and orchards in outdoor and indoor cultures. The mode of action is disrupting the insects' nervous system by obstructing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Feeding stops soon after applications, and the targeted pests die, immediately. Since Dinotefuran is harmful to the bees and other pollinators, its applications during flowering must be avoided.
Add 4 to 5 ml of Dinotefuran when the target is foliar spraying for controlling adult vine weevils. The gardeners may use up to 14 ml per gallon of water if you need to drench it in the soil.
Check out our other guides on common garden bugs.
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