Vine weevils can cause severe damage to your garden, harming your plants and leaving them looking lifeless and bare. One way to deal with insects like vine weevils effectively is by getting to know them better. So, what do vine weevils eat? And what will they avoid?
Unfortunately, they’re not fussy! Vine weevils eat a variety of plants, including shrubs, flowers, vines and trees.
One of the dangers which involve vine weevils is that they follow a varied diet. This means that these insects will feed on many of the plants in your garden – they’re far from fussy!
Vine weevils will consume a range of ornamental plants and are most dangerous during their larval stage. Moreover, plants grown in containers are especially prone to get eaten by vine weevils.
What Plants Do Vine Weevils Eat?
Vine weevils like to eat different kinds of plants that are found in gardens. When it comes to the adult vine weevil, the damage is concentrated to the foliage of plants.
The adult vine weevils are found chewing on leaves and flowers. This causes the appearance of plants to look shabby and ragged.
Unfortunately, the larvae do a lot of the damage caused in gardens by vine weevils. These young vine weevils damage even the roots of plants.
The larvae of vine weevils have to consume a lot quickly so they can build their strength. This causes your plants to become so weak that the eventual outcome for them is death.
It would be helpful to understand the different kinds of plants that vine weevils like to consume. This will enable you to be conscious of what plants to grow in your garden and which to protect. There are a lot of different plants which vine weevils like to consume, and some of them include :
As you can see, they’re not fussy. They don’t stick to fruits or vegetables or shrubs. They’ll happily work their way through a variety of plants.
What Plants Do Vine Weevils Not Eat?
While there are many plants that vine weevils love to consume, there are some that they do not like. Generally, vine weevils do not like plants that are strongly fragrant. The strong smell irritates the insects and keeps them from landing on the plants or eating them.
In addition, vine weevils are not attracted to plants with furry leaves, as it makes them uncomfortable. Some of the plants which vine weevils do not eat include:
- Lemon balm
- Mint
- Geraniums
- Lavender
- Stachys Byzantine
If you have these plants in your garden or are planning to grow them, you do not have to worry about vine weevils eating them, thankfully!
How To Keep Plants Safe from Vine Weevils
Vine weevils can cause a lot of damage if the infestation you are facing is large. Your plants will not only suffer from surface-level damage, but the larvae of vine weevils will also attack the roots of the plants.
You can tell that there are vine weevils in your garden damaging your plants by observing the damage they have caused. The plants will have wilted leaves and suffer from stunted growth. In worst cases, the plants can also die.
Therefore, you need to adopt a few strategies to deal with vine weevils before they cause severe harm:
If you have a new vine weevil infestation, you can counter it by simply handpicking the insects first. This process does not need insecticides which is a healthy approach for your garden. If you do not wish to handle the insects with your bare hands, you can wear gloves to counter that problem.
Another way to deal with vine weevils is by applying nematodes in your garden. Using traps that have nematodes in them will be effective in killing vine weevils. You can place the traps among the plants which are suffering from the most damage because of vine weevils.
It is always helpful to introduce natural predators in your garden to control the insect population. This will ensure that you do not just handle vine weevils but other insects too. You can invite natural predators into your garden, like birds, frogs, and hedgehogs that consume vine weevils.
Moreover, an effective vine weevil killer comes in the form of diatomaceous earth. This is a powder that can penetrate the exoskeleton of the vine weevils, dehydrating them and killing them. You can use this method in your garden without harming any plants.
Summary
Vine weevils can be a menace if you have a bug infestation. These insects not only cause surface-level damage by eating the leaves, but the larvae do not spare the roots either. Vine weevils consume a variety of plants, including different annuals.
However, vine weevils do not like plants with a strong fragrance or rough texture, which you can use to create a border and protect other plants. You can get rid of the vine weevils by using different methods, including diatomaceous earth, handpicking, nematodes and introducing natural predators.
Ryan is a keen gardener from the UK who’s spent years dealing with countless, common pests over the years so knows the ins and outs of how to deal with pests in the garden
