Marianne's Response

root weevil

My long established Daphne O’Dora has cut out leaves at margins which the local nursery say is most likely root weevil. what should I do about it? Steve from Tacoma

Posted by carl hammer on March 17, 2020

Marianne's Response

Yikes! Strawberry root weevil does indeed make notches on the leaf margins of the foliage most often on rhododendrons. This critter hides out in the soil during the day then creeps up the trunk of shrubs and feeds on the foliage at night. Two things you can do. First go out at night, spread a sheet under the shrub them shake the plant or hit with a broom to knock all the feeding weevils off the leaves and onto the sheet. Gather up the ends of the fabric and squish the culprits making sure they are actually the dull black or gray beetle. You can also scrape away any protective mulch under the shrub to expose dark, moist soil to birds that will then arrive and  pluck out the white weevil larvae (the younger version of the beetle form) and also smear a sticky goo called Tanglefoot on the trunk to capture any weevils as they climb from the soil to the foliage. Garden centers and nurseries sell Tanglefoot in a tube so there is no mixing and no danger to pets. These tips should help that evil weevil not weasel out of your control. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti