Content
- Detect the weevil on the laurel cherry and fight it
- The pest
- The damage picture
- Discover the beetle
- Fight the ravenous beetle
- Nematodes - natural helpers in the fight against the weevil
- Tips & Tricks
Detect the weevil on the laurel cherry and fight it
The fat weevil is a dreaded garden pest that likes to pick its leaves and shoots from hardy foliage while developing a considerable appetite. However, it is not these feeding damage that severely weaken the laurel cherry. The beetle larvae, which hunt down the root system, damage the plant so much that it can even penetrate.
The pest
In our gardens, the fringed weevils, as well as the large brown weevils, spread in the first place. Both species are dark colored, nocturnal and reach a size of about one centimeter. The beetle prefers areas with humus-rich soils, where the white-colored larvae find optimal living conditions. They develop underground and feed on the root system of the host plants, to which they can cause considerable damage.
The damage picture
Plants infested with weevil, show a typical damage pattern known as bastard feeding. The leaves are semi-circularly eaten, but have no pitting. The larvae living in the soil initially feed on the fine root hair of the laurel cherry. They eat from there to the main root and gnaw all underground plant parts.
Discover the beetle
The weeping weevil is nocturnal. In order to detect the beetles it is advisable to search the laurel cherry for the pests after dark with a flashlight.
Fight the ravenous beetle
If you have spotted the small crawlers, you should place containers filled with wood wool under the laurel cherry. Here, the weeping weevils will crawl during the day, so you can destroy them. Check the traps daily so that the pests do not multiply.
It is more effective to fight the larvae. The optimal time for this are the months of April and May and August and September, when the larvae hatched in large numbers. The specialist trade leads parasitic nematodes, which kill the offspring of the weevil beetle in a few days for humans and animals. The effect of this environmentally friendly method is very sustainable, as the nematodes continue to multiply in the bodies of the dead black weevil larvae.
Nematodes - natural helpers in the fight against the weevil
Per square meter, you should dispose of 500,000 nematodes, which you will receive commercially in sealed plastic bags with carrier powder. Before exposing the beneficial insects, thoroughly water the soil so that the nematodes find enough moisture to reach the larvae. The animals work most effectively at soil temperatures between 15 and 25 degrees. Because they are sensitive to UV light, it is recommended to apply in the evenings or when the sky is cloudy.
Tips & Tricks
Neempresskuchen spoil the voracious beetles' appetite. These are worked flat into the soil around the cherry laurel. The contained neem oil is taken up by the shrubs and is poisonous both for the beetles and for the larvae of the weevil weevil.