Back several months ago I posted about my miserable rhododendrons. Just
about every leaf had been eaten by a bug and I was contemplating pulling
them out.

The diagnosis was root weevils.

I ended up giving them a monthly spray of Isotox, a systemic poison
whose label was completely terrifying. I used the long pants, eye
protection, respirator etc, but still wasn't real happy about it.

The good news is that the bushes put out new foliage this spring which
has matured without a single bug bite anywhere. They look great! I'm
treating my other azaleas with the Isotox now (Blaaw's Pink and
Rosebud), as their new foliage got munched up as soon as they finished
flowering.

I hate having to use this kind of poison but it seems to be what it
takes to keep plants alive around our house's foundation which is
looking like the set for filming "The Very Hungry Catepillar"

Everything else in the garden is going great guns except for the roses.
You guys weren't kidding when you said they were a deer's favorite
food. They ate every single bud off my two roses!

Jenny wrote:

Back several months ago I posted about my miserable rhododendrons. Just
about every leaf had been eaten by a bug and I was contemplating pulling
them out.

The diagnosis was root weevils.

If they are black vine weevils or strawberry root weevils, they live in
the ground and climb up the plant each day to dine. Feeding is done at
night. Specimens may be collected at night for identification. The major
damage is caused by weevil larvae which girdle the roots and kill the
plant. Larvacidal drenches may be used to kill them but are of limited
effectiveness. A more effective approach is to use nematodes. They are
very effective against weevils when applied in the fall to control the
larvae. While this approach is promising, it has limitations in that the
beneficial nematodes are very sensitive to temperature and moisture
extremes and will not live over winter. If applied to soil that is too
cold, too wet, too dry or too hot, they will die and provide no control.
Best control is achieved by using both chemical and nematode methods
with proper timing. Foliar sprays are very effective at controlling
adult weevils when leaf notching starts. Foliar sprays of Orthene should
be sprayed at about three week intervals from about May to October,
depending on the weather, until no adults emerge. Since weevils feed at
night, you can hand pick adult weevils at night using a flashlight.
Since weevils spend the daytime in the soil and come out at night to
feed, you can paint the trunk with Tanglefoot to stop them, but make
sure no branches are touching the ground.
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Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA Zone 6