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Leaf nibblers!

ViewAheadViewAhead Posts: 866
in Problem solving
Has anyone any idea what could be eating these lilac leaves in my sister's garden?  The nibbling is only round the edges.  A young fatsia nearby has been similarly attacked, which given how resilient these usually are to pests, seems a surprising choice for a feast.  Most puzzling! 




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  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Vine weevils, I'd say
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    I have lots of this damage in different parts of the garden this year. Never seen it before. If it is vine weevils that's very bad news because it suggests a population explosion. 😫
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • ViewAheadViewAhead Posts: 866
    Oh, goodness, that's not good news.  Will they die off over winter?  My sister lives in the London area, so usually gets some frosty periods. 
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    They over winter as larvae underground and can survive very low temperatures. The best way to check for adult weevils is to go out after dark and check the plants over with a torch. Crush any adults you find or knock them into a jar and put it in the freezer.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    They don’t die off unfortunately,  they have already laid their eggs and the grubs will be underground.  They are the creatures that do the damage,  they’ll eat away the roots.

    The good news is that nematodes work, but can work out expensive.  They have to be done twice a year,  April and end of September or they’re abouts.   April will catch them as they emerge and September will catch the grubs already hatched. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • ViewAheadViewAhead Posts: 866
    Ooh dear.  She won't be pleased to hear all this.  :o
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Although the leaves don’t look nice chewed,  it’s the grubs underground that do the damage. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • LG_LG_ Posts: 4,360
    I too have quite a lot of vine weevil leaf damage this year, in patches, on plants that are in the ground rather than pots - it's the first time this has happened. 
    'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
    - Cicero
  • ViewAheadViewAhead Posts: 866
    Must be a bumper yr for the pesky wotsits.  👎
  • plant pauperplant pauper Posts: 6,904
    Bumper year for ants here! E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E!
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