At my wit's end over weevils!

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Hortlove Patterson, CA Dec 28, 2009

Hi all. I am a relatively new gardener in the Stanislaus County of California and am having a horrible time with black vine weevils. For the past two years, the adults (haven't found any grubs yet, so not sure if they are adding to the damage, too) have attacked the plants in my front yard and destroyed all the annual and perennial flowers I've planted. These attacks begin in May and go all the way through August. Last year, they killed all but six salvia plants, two echinacea, and my lavender. They ate everything else: stems, leaves, flowers, everything gone. Dahlias, scabiosas, four 'o clocks, shasta daisies, red hot pokers, the list goes on. I have even seen them on my mature ash tree, but can't tell if they eat that foliage as well. I have done some research and found that only very potent insecticides work on these guys since the adults are like aphids and can reproduce without males. I am an organic gardener, so I don't want to use any chemicals, however, I cannot watch hundreds of my plants die by defoliation again, either. If anyone has suggestions or knows how to control these weevils, I would greatly appreciate it!

This message was edited Dec 29, 2009 1:14 PM

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Dec 29, 2009

Here is some info from UC Davis: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/INVERT/blvinwee.html If you have adults, you undoubtedly also have the larvae so I'd definitely try the nematodes that they suggest.

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