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Yesterday I had a scare. I thought my new buddleia had a massive invasion of Buddleia Weevil larvae.
After investigating it turns out it was not BV. PhewI spent all night researching the weevil and trying to come up with a plan to save my plants. I could not find any way to stop BV other than spraying. Some people have had success spraying a contact insectide like Mavrik from Yates. It needs to hit the weevil to kill it. No good if they are hiding under the leaf.
So moving forward I feel the best way to beat the weevil is to get a systemic into the buddleia plant just as the larvae is starting to feed. If the larvae are controlled, then there will be fewer adults in the future to lay further larvae. Lessening the cycle is the best chance we have if we wish to keep the buddleia. It was sad to read in the latest magazine that Jacqui is thinking of pulling out her plants.
I started looking into systemic insecticide sprays but the best I could find is imidacloprid but that is the worst for the bees and butterflies. What else is out there?
So I came across a product that looks interesting. It is a granule so there is no worries about spray drift. It is sprinkled in the dripline of the plant and taken up by the roots and kills bugs eating the foliage. Perfect!!…. But…. “We advise not to apply to plants in flower as it may affect foraging bees.”
No doubt that means butterflies too.
I have about 20 plants and It wouldn’t take long to go around and take off all the flower heads and apply the granule kill the weevil and move on happily. But how long will the chemical stay in the plants? It is all a guessing game. I am expecting the weevils anytime soon. I have seen plants in the area with the damage. I am going to fight the battle and will get back to you all with my findings. Please put up anything I could try.
If you are interested in the granule it is here.
http://www.kiwicare.co.nz/help/product/?sid=plant-health-insect-hit-granules
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