Top Tips & Info
Eradication Difficulty - Moderate
Life Cycle - Up to a year.
The female can lay up to fifteen eggs a day - three hundred in total.
Vine or Root Weevils can be brought into the home by two methods - the plant's original soil when purchased, or using a contaminated potting mix during transplantation.
The larvae will attack stored nutrients or water from the roots.
Small infestations will go unnoticed for many weeks until the plant begins to wilt or develop yellow leaves.
Take out of the pot and inspect the soil - never unearth all of its roots (unless wholly necessary) as this will cause transplant shock and even death.
Remove as many eggs or larvae as possible with your fingers. After around a year, they'll develop into wingless black-shelled bugs that are 1cm in length. The larvae will attack the roots, while the adults destroy the foliage.
Decide whether to use an organic or chemical-based pesticide - the latter is the quicker option of the two. Pour hydrogen peroxide into the water (diluted at the manufacturer's recommendation) to oxygenate the soil (highly beneficial) along with killing off any larvae.
Repeat the last step multiple times over two months - just because you can't see them, doesn't mean they're not there!
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Symptoms
Similarly to the Root Mealybug, small infestations will go unnoticeable for many weeks, until a large proportion of the root system has been destroyed. Wilting will be the first symptom, especially when the plant is sitting in moist soil and has not been subject to irrigation abuse - i.e. under or over-watering. Here, the leaves will then adopt a yellowed appearance that'll significantly reduce the rates of photosynthesis.
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Susceptible Plant Parts
Larvae - The roots of all plants, and the basal plates of a tuberous, cormous or bulbous plants.
Adults - The foliage of the plants - they'll lay eggs in the soil once they hit maturity.
Susceptible Plants - Begonia, Cyclamen, Azaela & Primula. These pests can attack almost all species when in the same pot - so be vigilant when using poorly stored compost.
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Actions Needed
Adults
N. B. - If there aren't signs of an infestation on the foliage, skip this step and move on.
For those who do have the adult bugs on the leaves, there are two stages to remove them - addressing these first, and then the larvae. It's essential to deal with the infestation in this order as the bugs will stay localised to the soil. If you start tinkering with larvae and then the critters, the latter easily fall back into the soil when washed away, thus leading to a further attack. Finding mature Vine Weevils on houseplants is rare, as it takes up to a year for the eggs to develop into adults. The larvae will do so much damage to the roots, it'll usually result in plant death before the year's up. If the plant is littered in the adult weevils, consider using a pesticide to eradicate the population.
1. Pick off all of the visible bugs with your hands - keep them in a container as they can easily escape!
2. Take the plant outside, GENTLY washing the stem, leaves and each cubbyhole using an outdoor hose. It's important to spray in at least three different angles to ensure thorough administration.
3. Once the plant is dry again, it's time to administer a pesticide. Although there are two options (organic or chemical-based sprays)
