Evil Weevil!

[Artisan]

I think I have signs of a Vine Weevil attack. Holes and sections of vine leaves eaten away. What would be the best deterrent or cure for this pest?

[Penellype]

Vine weevils don't just attack vines - they eat almost anything. Leaf damage is distinctive - notches around the edges of the leaves, not large holes.

The damage to the leaves is caused by the adults, but is usually superficial. It is the grubs in the soil that do the real damage, eating the roots.

I routinely treat all of my pots with nematodes twice a year in April and August, which keeps the population down, although it doesn't kill them all. The adults come out at night and are hard to find, but you can occasionally find them hiding behind pots etc in shady corners. It is worth killing any you find as they are all female and can lay hundreds of eggs each. Mercifully the damn things can't fly so the damage is limited to what they can reach on foot, but they can and do climb, so even hanging baskets are not completely safe.

[Artisan]

Thank you for the information. The vine in question is also looking a little out of salts. Could this be the grubs amongst the roots? You mentioned Nematodes which I have read about and that you apply the Nematodes in April and August. Can I apply the Nematodes treatment now or would I be wasting my time?

[Penellype]

You could apply it now, but it is not the best time of year for a couple of reasons.

Firstly the nematodes only kill the grubs, not the adults or the eggs. Vine weevils overwinter as grubs but at this time of year most of the population will either be adults or eggs.

Secondly the soil needs to be constantly damp otherwise the nematodes will die before they can do their job. Keeping pots damp all of the time in this sort of weather is really difficult.

I'd be wanting to be sure that vine weevils were the problem before spending money on nematodes, which are not exactly cheap at about £10 a pack. Have a read of this:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=234

[Kirk]

You are going to have to supply images as I suspect there are a few potential culprints. Bees of one variety take sections out of leaves. But usually fairly neat sections.

[Artisan]

Evil Weevil

Thank you for the reply. As requested I have attached some photographs.

[MarkPelican]

To be honest, that doesn't look like Vine Weevil damage to me. More like slugs. Could you have slugs climbing onto the leaves?

Weevils tend to damage the edges of the plants, cutting notches in them. (I suggest you google vine weevil damage there are various pictures on the web from reputable sources).

[Artisan]

Thank you for your reply. I will do a Google search and have a look.

[Artisan]

I have had a look at some photographs of damage done by Vine Weevils and the damage I have is not like that shown in the pictures. So perhaps it is slug/snail damage as you have suggested. I will sit up all night with a torch and a hammer to see if I can catch the little devils!

Thank you again for all you help.