Sorry, but until they have killed the plant the buggits will carry on making smells and eating the plant. Needs either spraying frequently with a systemic insecticide or digging out and replacing.
Completely agree with you Berghill, we ripped our two V. tinus out once we realised that the beetle was prevalent around here. Just walking past a local hedge that is ravaged every year is awful, I agree with you Peter, it smells of vomit. I read somewhere that it's the beetle's excrement that makes the smell. I think the shrub has to be sprayed around April and again late Summer, the idea being that you kill the larvae and then later on the beetle itself. Although that V. looks very big in the photo and making sure you get both sides of virtually every leaf would be nigh on impossible. Maybe get friendly with the neighbour and suggest they bin it?
I've recently pruned my vibernum bodnantense dawn and noticed it smelt horrible and vomit-like...and it has no beetle damage at all on it. Oddly the flowers in the winter smell nicely. It's the foliage that's horrible. So I think vibernum may smell even without the beetles.
Has anyone else found this or is it just the tinus that people think smells?
This happened to a Viburnum of mine last year - we sniffed round the garden thinking something had died, or at least vomited! I pruned it and sprayed it and it recovered ok - I must check on it again as it's a very undesirable waft!
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That is V. tinus being ravaged by Viburnum beetle. It is this creature which gives off the awful smell. Some liken it to dog faeces.
Ahh ok, god a mix between dog poo and sick! Hopefully they move on or I'm going to have to get serious with these stinky little guys.
Thank you
Sorry, but until they have killed the plant the buggits will carry on making smells and eating the plant. Needs either spraying frequently with a systemic insecticide or digging out and replacing.
Completely agree with you Berghill, we ripped our two V. tinus out once we realised that the beetle was prevalent around here. Just walking past a local hedge that is ravaged every year is awful, I agree with you Peter, it smells of vomit. I read somewhere that it's the beetle's excrement that makes the smell. I think the shrub has to be sprayed around April and again late Summer, the idea being that you kill the larvae and then later on the beetle itself. Although that V. looks very big in the photo and making sure you get both sides of virtually every leaf would be nigh on impossible. Maybe get friendly with the neighbour and suggest they bin it?
I've recently pruned my vibernum bodnantense dawn and noticed it smelt horrible and vomit-like...and it has no beetle damage at all on it. Oddly the flowers in the winter smell nicely. It's the foliage that's horrible. So I think vibernum may smell even without the beetles.
Has anyone else found this or is it just the tinus that people think smells?
Last edited: 29 May 2017 21:12:43
This happened to a Viburnum of mine last year - we sniffed round the garden thinking something had died, or at least vomited! I pruned it and sprayed it and it recovered ok - I must check on it again as it's a very undesirable waft!