When you are a gardener, you have to deal with a range of pests. One of these pests is vine weevils. These insects are known to attack different types of plants and will appear all over plants. But how do they get there? Can vine weevils fly or do they jump?
Vine weevils do not fly. They do look like they have wings but they actually have fused wing cases which means they cannot fly.
You will find vine weevils during the spring chewing on your plants. Flying insects can cause gardeners to worry as they can move quickly from one plant to another. However, vine weevils cannot fly and, instead, walk from plant to plant.
Do Vine Weevils Have Wings?
If you take a quick look at a vine weevil, it will look like it has wings. It looks like many other flying insects. However, the wing covers are fused which means they cannot actually fly.
So, yes, vine weevils do actually have wings. At some point many, many years ago, there is a possibility that vine weevils could fly but evolution has led to vine weevils fusing their wing covers to their bodies to form a protective, hard shell like a beetle.
Do Vine Weevils Jump?
If vine weevils do not fly, how can they commute from one plant to another? This is a concerning question that many might have regarding vine weevils. The assumption, of course, is that most garden insects go around from one plant to another by flying.
However, vine weevils do not fly, and instead, these insects will jump. These tiny insects will jump from plant to plant or walls to plants, especially around land near pots and in greenhouses.
Keeping any infested plants away from the walls is essential as weevils could use them to jump on the plant. And this is how vine weevils can eat their way through countless plants.
Many people mistake a jumping weevil for one that is flying. However, this is not the case. None of the adult vine weevils can fly and simply get about by jumping. Even with jumping, there are a few exceptions.
For example, weevils cannot jump upwards. If you see an insect flying or jumping upwards, it is not a weevil but a different pest. Vine weevils will propel themselves horizontally towards another plant, instead.
How Do Vine Weevils Move?
To manage your garden better, it is essential to know the kind of insects which exist. One common insect often found in gardens is the vine weevil. These are tiny insects that do their damage during the night when they come out.
The adult vine weevils cause significant damage to foliage. On the other hand, larvae are found underground, feeding on the roots, and do not cause visible damage to the plant.
We have established that vine weevils do not fly. However, they do have to move some way. Vine weevils move through gardens by staying on the ground mostly. These insects will hide away in debris, mulch, and soil.
Vine weevils will move from their hiding spot in the soil to the plant as the sun sets so it can be hard to spot them moving about.
It is essential to keep an eye on vines and tall, climbing plants when dealing with vine weevils as this is one of the best sources of transportation used by vine weevils.
So, in terms of movement, vine weevils will either jump between plants if they can propel themselves with enough force to bridge the gap. If not, they will simply crawl along the ground. They will also try to crawl from one plant to another if their vines or stems cross. This is why climbing plants can be at risk.
Summary
A garden comprises different plants, and with that comes many other pests. One such pest which we find in gardens is vine weevils. These are small, usually black, nocturnal insects that feed on plants and destroy them.
You cannot tell right away that you have vine weevils as they are nocturnal; hence it is not easy to spot them. But, you can recognize the infestation from plant damage.
Vine weevils cannot fly as they do not have useable wings, their wings have become fused to their bodies to form a hard shell. However, these pests can jump and walk from one plant to another or plant to a wall.
Even if these pests cannot fly, it does not mean they will not cause damage to plants. You can get rid of weevils by introducing natural ways like nematode predators, handpicking them, or using pesticides.
