Vine weevil grubs

[Leif]

I pulled out some sickly strawberry plants from a large container and found large numbers of vine weevil larvae. I want to use the large containers for carrots, spring onion and Chinese cabbage. Am I right to assume that the larvae will be a threat? If so, what do I do with the old compost? Can I put it in the dalek compost bin, given that there is a lid? Or should I bag it and take to the council tip treating it as effectively toxic to my garden? I suppose I could search it and remove them by hand but I surely cannot be sure of removing all grubs.

As an aside, the beetles are very beautiful. Pity they are so destructive.

[Leif]

I dug out 50 odd from one pot. There are without doubt more. I found one in each of the two other pots which have not had strawberries for many months and yet the strawberries in the ground are healthy. Perhaps the compost is more inviting than hard clay soil. I will either dispose of the compost, or bag it and leave in the garage for a year which I assume should kill them. Oh well, at least the robin had a nice meal.

[charles]

Leif my understanding id that vine weevil grubs do not eat roots of plants grown for food, in open soil, except for strawberries.
I would spread the compost anywhere except the strawberry bed.

[Leif]

Thank Charles, I don’t suppose you have any idea how far away the spread compost needs to be from strawberries? I suspect a metre would do, since they can only wriggle. But I’ve never dealt with these critters before.

I do wonder where these came from since the beetles are flightless. Either there is a small resident population on non edible plants, causing no significant damage, but strawberries in containers let them multiply rapidly, or they came in with plot plants from a garden centre. I have had pests before from a garden centre!

[Author]

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