Vine weevil: how to spot, prevent and treat it pest
How do you spot vine weevil?
The half round notches along the leaf edges in summer are the work of the adult beetles and do the plant little harm. The larvae are the danger: white grubs with a brown head eat the roots, the plant suddenly drops its leaves and dies, most often between autumn and spring.
How do you prevent vine weevil?
Most at risk are plants in pots and troughs. In a bed the damage is rarer. At repotting check the roots and the compost and pick the larvae out. You find the adult beetles in the evening with a light, when they crawl over the plants.
What works against vine weevil?
Pick the adults off in the evening, set sticky traps indoors and change the compost, removing the larvae as you go. There is no insecticide. As biological protection, water beneficial nematodes into the compost at the end of summer, while the larvae are still small.
Which plants get vine weevil? 13
Berries 1
Ornamentals 12
Sources: Royal Horticultural Society, University of Illinois Extension
Checked on 28 August 2026.