"WRabbit" wrote in message
...
On digging over a border yesterday I unearthed some white grubs with brown
heads. I thought they looked like nasties but wasn't sure, but after a
little work with Google vine weevils were high on the list of suspects.
The
one doubt I had was that the grubs were longer (about 1" - 1.25" than the
stuff I was reading suggested.

I've just gone back to the bed and found what I suspect are the eggs - I'm
now convinced it is vine weevils. They are round 4-5mm balls with a brown
hard case and a soft white inside - and there are LOTS of them. I'm
pretty
certain how they got in the bed as previously we've just used containers
and
I emptied some old compost from containers into that bed to fill it up.

I've read about nematodes but it seems the wrong time of year to use them
anyway. I've got a bed that I had big plans for this year, and don't know
what to do now. Do I abandon it for the year and use the nematodes in
autumn?

The strange thing is all my containers seem pretty healthy. Although
thinking back on it last summer some of my fushias and busy lizzies were
eaten through just where the plants meet the soil. I blamed the slugs -
could it have been vine weevils?

I'm also worried about my fledgling compost heap as I put the old bedding
plants from last summer into it.

Someone tell me to get a sense of perspective please and that I'm over
reacting! I've got a load of bedding plants about to arrive and a cold
frame full of dahlias, and I'm in a bit of a panic.

--
WRabbit
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Actually if the grubs are 1" to 1.25" long they are more likely to be chafer
grubs nasty too ..............or the larvae of stag beetles which are
beneficial