Vine weevil
This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2023) |
Black vine weevil | |
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Otiorhynchus sulcatus on millimeter graph paper | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Coleoptera |
Infraorder: | Cucujiformia |
Family: | Curculionidae |
Genus: | Otiorhynchus |
Species: | O. sulcatus
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Binomial name | |
Otiorhynchus sulcatus (Fabricius, 1775)
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The black vine weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus) is an insect native to Europe but common in North America as well. It is a pest of many garden plants.
Overview
The adult weevil is matte black with fused wing covers, and is unable to fly. It feeds at night on the outer edges of leaves, causing the leaves to have a notched margin. Broadleaved evergreen plants such as Camellia, Rhododendron, Euonymus and Bergenia are particularly prone to damage, although a wide range of different garden plants are susceptible to attack.[1]
Female weevils have the ability to reproduce
Host plants
Their host plant genera include:
Controls
The soil dwelling grubs can be difficult to control with chemical
Adult weevils can be controlled by using sticky barriers on the trunks of affected plants, as the weevils return to the soil each day.
Adults can also be manually removed from plants at night when they can be found feeding on leaf edges. Use only a dim torch or candlelight to search by, as they will drop to the ground if startled by bright light.
Biological controls
Larvae can be controlled using parasitic nematodes, for example Steinernema kraussei and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (a 'cruiser' species), which can be bought from some garden centres and by mail order.[4] They are mixed with water and watered onto the soil.
Adults may also be controlled using products based on the fungi Metarhizium brunneum and Beauveria bassiana.
See also
- Lixus concavus, the Rhubarb curculio weevil
References
- ^ "Otiorhynchus sulcatus (Curculionidae) - the black vine weevil". www.forestry.ubc.ca. Archived from the original on 2012-02-04. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
- ^ "FruitDisease - Entomology, vine weevils". www.fruitdisease.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2017-05-07. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
- ^ "Black Vine Weevil" (PDF). 2003. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-11-29.
- ^ "Black Vine Weevil". University of Illinois Extension. Archived from the original on 2010-02-10. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
External links
- Media related to Black vine weevil at Wikimedia Commons
- Data related to Otiorhynchus sulcatus at Wikispecies