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Vine weevil grubs and eggs

nigoram@hotmail.com[email protected] Posts: 2
in Problem solving
hello..I wondered if you were worried that there may be vine weevil eggs/grubs in a selection of pots, could you submerge the pot in water with a drop of washing up liquid (to break surface tension) and leave it for a while...would this drown/kill the pests??  The chemical solutions are expensive and the parasitic worms are dependant on warmer temperatures so I’m looking for an alternative.  Thanks in advance.

Posts

  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
     hubby found some in some of our pots,compost went into council bin, plants roots washed off,seems to work,he only used cold water
  • nigoram@hotmail.com[email protected] Posts: 2
    Thanks Nanny Beach. I’ve got a lot of pots which would make that a considerable task!
    I’ve also got some bonsai plants in pots and so cannot just replace the medium they are in. I might have to empty my wallet and get some stuff!
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    I've left the whole pot in water for up to 2 days just in case without the plant suffering but not sure I'd use that for bonsai .
    Nemetodes are better than the chemicals but you have to do it twice yearly and obviously the larve need to be there, they don't work on adults which are best caught at night on warm evenings.
    Last year's thread of 9 pages  https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1043767/nematodes-late-night-hunting#latest
  • BiljeBilje Posts: 811
    I get random attacks of vine weevil grubs, well I don’t my pots do. If they’re discovered because the plant is failing I wash off the roots and replant, this is usually potted primulas. If I need to do several pots I put the infected compost in a bucket and flood it with water and leave a couple of days. This drowns the little devils. The compost is either put on a border or into the compost bin. 
    If I think other pots may be infected I give them the two day soak treatment as a precaution. Although I’ve seen the odd adult the must be good at hiding in my garden/ greenhouse. 
    I’ve too many pots for nematodes or chemicals.
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    I tried doing exactly what you suggest - it didn't work.

    Ended up washing out the compost from the roots and using Nemasys. This was last summer. And I found fresh larvae in the same plants this morning, although I think they must be a new generation. They seem to love Sanguisorba 'Tanna'
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
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