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Because of their appetite, vine weevils are one of the most feared garden pests. 7 natural home remedies can be used to combat the vine weevil.
In a nutshell
- thoroughly collect adult beetles
- alternatively lure in vine weevil trap
- Quench with garlic, neem oil or coffee grounds
- Use plant teas to strengthen plants
- use natural predators
Vine weevil: 7 home remedies
collect
Collecting the adult specimens is one of the best ways to eliminate vine weevils. The method is particularly effective because you remove and dispose of the bugs directly. Although this method involves a great deal of effort, in most cases the removed beetles do not return. You will need the following items to collect the pests:
- flashlight
- big sheet
Ideally, have a helping hand available as the sheet is difficult to use with one hand. Of course you can attach it if no help is in sight. Wait for late evening or night to arrive. The beetles are nocturnal and only come out of their hiding places when it is dark. For this reason, they cannot be collected throughout the day. Proceed as follows:
- Check plants for vine weevils
- Place sheets under infested plant
- shake the plant vigorously
- Beetles drop in fright
- land on the sheet
- Check the plant for more beetles after shaking it several times
- repeat if necessary
- Finally, dispose of the vine weevil
- the bio bin is suitable for this
- never dispose of in the compost (bugs get back into the garden via the compost)
Vine Weevil Trap
If collecting is too much effort for you, you should use a vine weevil trap. This is a temporary shelter where the beetles retreat during the night. You can empty the traps throughout the day and thus dispose of the adult beetles without any problems. For the trap you only need a flower pot or a similar container that you fill with wood shavings or mulch. Then place the trap upside down in close proximity to the infested plant. The bugs will choose these as shelters, making them easy to collect the next day.
neem products
The natural home remedy is offered in two variants that you can use:
- neem oil
- neempress cake
The ingredient azadirachtin in neem tree seeds (Azadirachta indica) is toxic to beetles and other annoying pests such as fungus gnats. It ensures that they no longer eat the plant and is therefore a good home remedy against vine weevil. Furthermore, larval development is restricted, which significantly reduces the number of adult beetles. Neempress cake is the residue left over from making the oil and is just as effective. They are easier to apply than neem oil depending on the size of the infestation and the number of plants. If you decide to use the press cakes, the application is as follows:
- use 50 g per m²
- Do not crush the press cake
- incorporate into soil
- repeat every 8 weeks
If you want to use the oil instead of the press cake, you have to do it differently. So that the neem oil does not harm the plant, it must be diluted beforehand. This is done in the following way:
- Mix neem oil with water
- 2 teaspoons of neem oil in 1 liter of water
- pour into spray bottle
- Spray the plant vigorously
- do not use during lunchtime or when it is raining
- the midday sun could cause burns
- Rain washes away the oil
- repeat every 7 to 14 days
coffee grounds
Coffee grounds is one of the supporting measures that you should use combined with the other home remedies. Coffee works best as a preventative so that the adults cannot lay their eggs or directly against the larvae in the soil. The active ingredients within the coffee drive away the pests, which means that the plants are permanently protected. Coffee grounds are used as follows:
- drying coffee grounds
- otherwise the substrate will become moldy
- Work carefully into the soil
- apply every 4 weeks
garlic
Garlic can be used in a similar way to coffee grounds to combat vine weevil. The spicy tubers have certain ingredients that have a repellent effect on the beetles and numerous other pests, keeping them away from the crops. A major benefit of using garlic is its ease of use:
- use one clove of garlic per plant
- shred
- incorporate into the soil around the plant
- renew every month
Tip: You can boil garlic with water to make tea. Allow to cool and either water or spray the plants with the garlic tea to increase resistance to the pests.
tansy manure
Tansy manure is an excellent home remedy that you can use to strengthen the natural resistance of plants to the vine weevil. At the same time, tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) has a deterrent effect on animals and can therefore be used in a similar way to garlic and coffee grounds. The liquid manure can be made by yourself without much effort, for which you need the following ingredients and utensils:
- 1kg tansy
- 10 liters of water
- optional: rock dust for odor control
- Barrel or container made of plastic, glass or wood
Do not use metal containers as these will be attacked by the manure. As a result, harmful substances are released from the material and get into the plant. Once you have what you need, do the following:
- Fill container with water
- use cold water
- Clean and chop the tansy
- put in the water
- optional: cover
- place in a shady place out of direct sunlight
- Location should be warm
- Leave to ferment for 10 to 14 days
- stir manure daily
- add rock flour if needed
It can be used when it no longer foams. After that, you can use them directly. This is done in the following way:
- Dilute with water (10 parts water to 1 part liquid manure)
- undiluted it damages the plants
- Spray plants with manure (effective against adult specimens)
- pour with liquid manure (effective against larvae)
- apply regularly
Notice: Instead of tansy, you can use wormwood in tea to combat vine weevil. For this you need either 30g of dried or 300g of fresh vermouth, which is prepared in the same way as the tansy tea.
predators
An effective method is to attract or settle predators who feast on the larvae and beetles. With this home remedy, the vine weevil can be combated without you having to lend a hand. Vine weevils have numerous enemies who will take care of the pests for you with the right garden design. These include:
- Hedgehog
- shrews
- moles
- birds
- toads
- lizards
- other insects (e.g. earwigs)
In order to attract all these animals, you need to make the garden close to nature. This means that elements such as wild corners, trees and hedges with sufficient hiding places or piles of leaves help to attract predators against the beetles. If you don't want to wait that long and are primarily looking for a home remedy against the larvae, you can use farm birds. You only need a stable for these so that they can move freely in the garden. They search for the larvae and make short work of them. Well suited for this purpose are:
- Chicken
- ducks
Tip: In addition to the predators, you can use nematodes to effectively combat the vine weevil larvae. They are incorporated directly into the soil and from there penetrate the larvae, whereupon the pests quickly perish.
frequently asked Questions
When should home remedies be used?Vine weevils can be effectively controlled over two specific periods of the year. The beetles are out and about mating from mid-April to June. The eggs are laid in the ground in June and hatch after about three weeks. After that, the next period begins, which lasts until October.
Which plants do vine weevils prefer?Vine weevils focus on numerous plants. The most popular include the Flaming Katy (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana), roses (Rosa), laurel cherry (Prunus laurocerasus), lilac (Syringa), geraniums (Geranium), rhododendrons (Rhododendron), forsythia (Forsythia) or berry bushes.
How are vine weevils introduced?Vine weevils find their way into the garden via potted plants that are already suffering from the pest. The same applies to substrates that have not been sterilized. Another possibility are neighboring gardens or wooded areas through which the vine weevil can get onto your own property if suitable food sources are available.
Do vine weevils transmit diseases?No, the harmful effects of the vine weevil are not responsible for diseases. Nevertheless, they ensure that the plants become more susceptible to diseases. For this reason, it is important to get rid of the pests as soon as possible.