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Jan Slavid
most recent 11 FEB 09 HIDE POSTS
 
Initial post 9 FEB 09 by Jan Slavid
Does anyone have advise on how to deal with rose weevils (Merhynchites bicolor) or curculios? I prefer to not used toxic pesticides, so I have just been picking them off by hand, which is a huge amount of work, and they still do lots of damage.
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Reply #1 of 3 posted 9 FEB 09 by HMF Admin
Try using the search feature for the Q&A section. You'll find the topic has been addressed before. There also are some good Ezine articles you will find helpful. And lastly, the links section can point you to some other wonderful websites that could be very enlightening. Good luck.
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Reply #2 of 3 posted 10 FEB 09 by Cass
I'll share my experience. The Rose Weevil or Rose curculio has a very particular life cycle that you should study. The weevils emerge from the soil under the plant, depending on location in May through early July. This is the time for diligence. I hand pick with a vengeance. Look at my shots in the GLOSSARY under Rose Curculio. Because they lay eggs in the spoiled buds and stems immediately under the buds, I very carefully deadhead and clean up all that material during the months the curculios are active. I don't let any blooms or stems hit the ground. I'm trying to interrupt the life cycle of the pest. It's a very big job, but I can see that the curculio is restricted to a small area in my garden. I've heard suggestions about mulching with newspapers under affected roses to prevent the young from access to the soil. I haven't resorted to that yet, but I may. The curculio apparently harbor in a couple of other plants in my area, which also has a large population of wild roses. The good news is that they have only a single generation a year. The bad news is that if you live in a region with a short growing season, they could be with you for the entire season. I don't yet know if they can be eradicated, but I suspect they can be controlled in my garden.
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Reply #3 of 3 posted 11 FEB 09 by digger
Thanks for the reply Cass. I've tried to explain the same thing to others. I copied your reply. Hope you don't mind. Your explanation was much better than my attempts.

Dave
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