Vine weevil

This question was asked by
Judy H

I have lost several Heuchera to an apparent root eating bug. The little bit of foliage left lifts off like a wig. This has happened to plants including some bought from you both in the ground and in pots. Any advice about prevention/ treatment would be greatly appreciated.
Well done at Chelsea.

Hi judy
Sorry to hear about the vine weevil problem
If you don’t have Heucheras they will attack other things too and it does become a serious problem as they are native to this country.
The Heuchera makes an excellent early warning system.
Our do have something in them to make sure we don’t send them out by mistake but that will only last 6 months sadly
However…
Here is the answer

This time of year all the Vine weevil are hatching and looking for somewhere to live and feed.
The adults love a leathery leaf so tend to head towards viburnum, rhodo, azaleas acuba, acers, etc to feed in the evening at dusk.
You will know they are there because the leaves will have notches on them
So in the day if you go out to the eaten nibbled trees and pop a couple of umbrellas up side down.
Then go out at dusk and shake the bush /tree see if they will drop off into your upturned umbrella
If they do take them back to the patio tip them out and have a lot to dance on them …remember they are not dead until they crunch!
Repeat this throughout the summer.
If the neighbours look at you funny invite them to do the same in their garden …the more the merrier!
Then come know August and September get nematodes (online and garden centres )and water that on them
In spring it’s always a good idea to keep a close eye open for any loosening of the crown (leaves) if they feel very loose dig them out and wash iffbthe roots looking for the white crowns
Hope this helps
Kind regards
Vicky

Vicky and Richard Fox