Sunday, 3 February 2013

Vine Weevil Larvae?


Although a little chilly it was a lovely, sunny day yesterday. There are quite a few tidying up jobs that need doing so I thought I would try and strike a few off the list. I decided to weed last years runner bean/sweet pea plot, which the brassica's are going in this year. I dug up several of these rather unpleasant creatures, which I suspect are the larva of the black vine weevil (Otiorynchus sulcatus). However, I did read somewhere that they do not have legs and as you can see in my photo above this one did, so I am not certain. Anyone got any ideas?

While digging up the old runner bean plot I also dug up a 7-spotted ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata), which I initially thought must be dead. However I moved him/her into the greenhouse and placed it on a strawberry plant we have in there. Ater a couple of minutes it started moving about as you can see below. I knew that ladybirds hibernated but I didn't think they hibernated underground.

After messing around for quite a while attempting to take these pictures (I am struggling a little with my new camera) I did finally manage to get some of my jobs done. I was hoping to sow some broad beans and aubergines, but was beaten by the clock :( I can't wait for the summer nights where it is still light at 10 pm!
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8 comments:

  1. Jo3 February 2013 at 14:14

    Urgh, that's horrible. I'm not very good with pests. I hope the ladybird doesn't come to any harm, it's supposed to get cold again this week. The clocks go forward next month then we'll have a bit more light in the evening, I'm looking forward to the lighter nights too.

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    1. chocolatelikesnow3 February 2013 at 15:03

      Yes, I wasn't too fond of it. I'm not very good at dealing with pests and tend to leave it to my Dad, who is far less squeamish! :)

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  2. chocolatelikesnow3 February 2013 at 15:03

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  3. Anonymous3 February 2013 at 15:28

    It could well be one, have a look here at the second last paragraph - http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=234
    I like the ladybird photo! Flighty xx

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    1. chocolatelikesnow3 February 2013 at 16:30

      I'm not wholly convinced that they are vine weevil larvae. We haven't had any issues with plants dying from no apparent cause. Also they seems a little dark in colour and a bit too big. Whatever they are, I don't like them :) x

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  4. Dewberry / Amanita5 February 2013 at 11:40

    The larva looks like an alien ;)

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  5. chocolatelikesnow5 February 2013 at 22:08

    Thanks to Trevor over at http://ukveggardeners.com my larva has been identified as a cutworm larva.

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