Growers are being advised to change their strawberry crops every year to reduce the risk of damage from vine weevil. Planting into previously used substrates or growing media should also be avoided on sites where the pest is known to exist already.
The guidelines form part of a new factsheet from AHDB to provide UK soft-fruit growers with a better understanding of the biology of vine weevil and to offer recommendations on how best to control the pest. Scott Raffle, AHDB Knowledge Exchange Manager, said: “As there are currently no conventional products approved for use as a drench for larvae, or foliar sprays for adult weevils, an integrated pest management programme that includes both cultural and biological control methods, together with monitoring, is necessary to control this pest. This factsheet provides growers with a wealth of information from the latest research to help growers build their own effective control strategies.”
Vine weevil control in soft fruit crops is available to download from horticulture.ahdb.org.uk/publications