Root Weevil - How To Identify And Control Root Weevils

If you thought aphids were a peril to the crops in your garden, you obviously oasis't met the root weevil. Dubbed past some equally the root of all evil, these voracious insects tin get through a whole veggie patch and single-handedly bring information technology to ruin. It's a reputation that the root weevil does its best to cement and fortify.

Root weevil

When gardeners see the signs of the dreaded weevil infestation, they ordinarily give upwards and consider their flowers, crops, or vines as skillful as gone. But just because the root weevil has a hard trounce encasing its trunk and a far-reaching snout doesn't mean that it'south indestructible. Read on to find out how to control root weevils and keep their damage to a minimum.

Place the Root Weevil

Although the root weevil is cypher more than a glorified protrude, information technology by far has more than devastating effects on your garden than the average beetle. Weevils are smaller in size than beetles but more determined and focused. As summer pests, they spread through your garden attacking everything from veggies to flowers, shrubs, and copse.

The boilerplate root weevil measures no more a one-half-inch in length. It'south not easy to miss with its hard torso, triangular-shaped caput with a long snout sticking out of it, and kleptomaniacal antennas. Unlike beetles, weevils have an antenna with a joint at the middle that looks like an elbow. The body is either black or brown, and despite the leathery wings, the insect cannot fly or run. Information technology is a tiresome mover that crawls from one leaf to the adjacent, slowly munching and laying eggs where it feeds.

Generally speaking, root weevils attack any constitute as long as it has sap flowing through information technology. From copse and shrubs to vines, flowers, and vegetables, every live plant is on the weevil's carte. They feast on grapes and blueberries with the same gluttony as attacking laurels, rhododendrons, and hemlocks. This is what makes it 1 of the most devastating pests in whatever garden. No vine or tree, no matter how high, is beyond its attain.

Symptoms of Root Weevil Infestation

Besides attacking growing plants, some weevils put their potent jaws to good employ and attack grain storage facilities causing millions of dollars in impairment in their wake. That's why you should identify the symptoms of a root weevil infestation as early as possible. This could be the difference between a healthy garden and one that'south left in ruins. Here are some of the symptoms you would encounter.

• Wilted Stalks: This is usually the effect of the weevil larvae attacking the roots of the plants. Every bit soon as they hatch, the larvae kickoff feeding on the roots effectually them. This causes considerable damage to the plants, which outset to wilt due to the lack of nutrition and h2o captivated by the roots. If the larvae keep to feed on the roots, in example of large infestations, the plants will most likely dice earlier the larvae are washed with them.

• Girdling: When the larvae mature, it leaves the soil and roots and moves upwardly the stalk of the plant. Forth the mode, they don't stop feeding. They puncture the stem of the plant to accomplish the sap in the veins. This further interrupts the supply of nutrients from the roots to the leaves and flowers. By the time the weevils are ready for the adjacent phase of their life wheel, the plant which has hosted them is reduced to a husk.

• Notched Leaves: Finally, the root weevil makes its way to the upper parts of the plant. Its goal is to reach the young shoots and flowers at the top. They munch their way to the leaves and get out small notches in the leaves. These punctures are easy to identify, but as we have seen, this phase is the terminate rather than the beginning of the weevil's trail of destruction.

Weevil Varieties

Although they might wait the aforementioned to the untrained center, weevils come up in different varieties. Some, similar the strawberry root weevil just assault strawberries and raspberries. Other weevil species don't make such a distinction and go after any plant that comes their way. Here are some of the most common weevil species that you might run across.

• Rose Weevil (Merhynchites bicolor): This small weevil is the bane of every flowering plant in your garden. Rather than feed on the sap in the leaves and stems, the rose weevil drains the juices out of the petal of the flower. They don't attack just roses, only even the flowers of vegetable plants. Without pollinated flowers, the veggies won't fruit that year.

• Wheat Weevil (Sitophilus granarius): Known in the agricultural circles as the granary weevil, this dreaded weevil causes destruction wherever it goes. If you don't manage to prevent it from reaching the grain storage unit, there's picayune adventure you'll accept whatever grains left. When facing danger, these weevils play dead.

• Flour Weevil: Although more of a beetle than a weevil, the harm this metallic-ruddy insect causes to food stock is immense. It lacks the strong jaws and snout that distinguish its namesake species, thus making it unable to feed on whole grains. Yet, information technology feeds on flour with the aforementioned intensity and malintent as other weevils.

• Black Vine Weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus): They're either brown or grey with smaller snouts and spotted wings. They notwithstanding have the elbowed antennae equally root weevils. Although their damage is limited to the foliage of the plants, they can be quite catchy to command. They don't have natural predators and, thanks to their small-scale size, find information technology easy to hide in any tiny hole in the basis.

The Life Cycle of a Root Weevil

Since root weevils feed on different parts of the plants at various stages of their life, it's important to understand the life cycle of the root weevil. That helps y'all know where the threat to your garden is coming from and run into it with the adequate control method.

The life of the weevils starts in the leap when the eggs laid by the adults hatch nigh the base of the plants. Immediately the larvae starting time burrowing in the soil in search of roots to feed on. This is unremarkably the most subversive part of the root weevil'southward life. The larvae will go undetected until they emerge from underground. During that time, they keep pruning the roots of the plants, which impacts the plants' growth and wellness.

By May or early June, the mature root weevil breaches the surface of the soil. If the weather condition is besides hot, the weevil will migrate to the house, where it volition crusade more than just a nuisance with its bites and food harm. But well-nigh oft, the weevil will just keep climbing upwardly the nearby plants as it moves toward the meridian for the young shoots and flowers.

How to Command Root Weevils

As we take seen, the root weevil has a lot going for it. It starts its life surreptitious away from the prying eyes and the few natural predators it has. And by the time it emerges from the ground, it's fully grown with a hard shell to protect it. That leaves you with ii options as far as controlling this pest is concerned—either organic methods or chemical pesticides.

Organic Control

This is commonly the best eco-friendly solution to combat the threat of the root weevil. Still, information technology as well involves a lot of work on your role. The skilful news is, it is quite effective, and if yous combine more than than one of the following options, yous'll keep your garden and habitation safe.

• Manual Control: This method is not for the faint of centre. It involves picking the weevils past hand off the plants, copse, or shrubs. You'll need to practice it at dark when the weevils are active. Utilize a flashlight to send the insects running out of their hiding places between the leaves. If that doesn't piece of work, give the plant or vine a vigorous shake. The weevils will drop to the ground. Pick them up and drop them in a saucepan full of water and wash detergent to kill them.

• Polyethylene Tape: A low-tech simply efficient way to prevent weevils from crawling upward the stems of the plants. Wrap a waterproof gummy tape around the stem of the found. When the root weevils try to climb over it, they will get stuck. The dead weevils will serve every bit a stiff warning to other mature weevils and prevent them from getting well-nigh to the plant.

• Entomopathogenic Nematodes: These roundworms are some of the few natural predators of root weevil larvae. Small, round, and with unsegmented bodies, they infuse the soil with lethal bacteria that impale the weevil larvae without filibuster. Use this method when yous notice the impairment to the roots of the plants caused by the larvae.

Chemical Control

As with all chemical pesticides, there's an chemical element of hazard not only to the other plants in the garden only to the pets and children as well. The toxins in these products could exist absorbed by your veggie plants and find their way into the food you harvest.

Most commercial pesticides that work against root weevils have active ingredients such equally bendiocarb, acephate, bifenthrin, and chlorpyrifos. However, some of these chemicals are not immune in certain states. Then bank check the local laws in your state before yous purchase a pesticide online.

Tips for Controlling the Root Weevil

As complex as controlling the root weevil is, it pays to be vigilant and cease those destructive beetles in their tracks before they find an opening in the defenses y'all fix up around the garden. Here are a few tips to help you along the way.

• Become rid of mulch if y'all see whatsoever of the weevil infestation symptoms we listed higher up. Mulch keeps the soil moist and serves every bit a hiding place for the weevils and their larvae.
• Diatomaceous Earth is one of the all-time organic methods to inflict equally much impairment on the weevils as you can. It doesn't change the chemical composition of the soil, nor does it have whatever negative effects on the plants.
• Endeavour to keep the soil as dry every bit possible. Don't over-water the plants to keep moisture levels low. Weevils seek moist soil to lay their eggs.
• Improve the drainage of the soil to brand information technology more than difficult for the root weevils to survive.
• Proceed your garden make clean and ataxia-free at all times. The droppings and fallen leaves serve equally a hiding ground for the weevils.
• Use a vacuum cleaner to go along your home tidy besides. They will suck the weevils out of their hiding places inside your house.

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