ICL's Steve Chapman on optimising vine weevil control

Steve Chapman, an experienced ex-grower and ICL technical area sales manager, turns his attention to vine weevil — often cited as the number one pest on nurseries in the UK and Ireland.

BASIS qualified, Chapman has many years of experience advising growers on how to keep this pest at bay. Vine weevil are highly topical because spring is a key time to target the larval or grub stage before they hatch in to adults.

Chapman was previously a production manager on a large Kent nursery. He controlled vine weevil back then with products such as Exemptor that are now off the market. He recommends options such as Lalguard (formerly Met52) now. Lalguard can be mixed into growing media.

He says understanding the lifecycle of this pest is important, from egg stage to larvae and pupation into adults, and how important it is to target at the right time.

Chapman recommends starting planning when it is quiet, then to apply Seeka beneficial nematodes in March and April. He also recommends using bait plants such as heuchera to attract vine weevil. Beneficial nematodes play a central role in controlling vine weevil. Chapman says timing and monitoring are important. His three top tips are:

Know the pest's lifecycle. Plan ahead. Use a wetting agent such as Transporter.

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