Pea & Bean Weevil treatment

[RICKYM]

I noticed some notches on my Pea leaves and it looks as if I have the Pea Weevil around

Does anybody know which spray / powder I should use to control this pest ??

Many thanks

[Two_Sheds]

No control necessary - it's more an irritation than a menace


2014 edit: actually, they're worse than ever. In 2012 my pea crop was repeatedly destroyed by the maggots eating the seeds under ground. In 2013 I started all my peas in cell trays (expensive on compost, but I got my best ever pea crop)

[Flummery]

I've got it on some of mine - not on others. It's only cosmetic, doesn't affect the pea-pod outcome as far as I can tell.

[Shadylane]

I hope this is true cause both our peas and broadies are being chomped. I squashed a mating pair of weevils the other day - it did not feel good. One of the veterans tried telling me to use Derris (isn't it banned?? ) He also told me they only come and chomp at night. This is not true but they aren't easy to catch and squash. Hrmph.

[Paulottie]

Yes Derris is banned (ludicrously IMO....reputedly nothing to do with indiscriminate users but risk of ingestion!) but then I saw another natural pyrethum (sp?) based product that looked pretty jolly similar (a rose by anyothername)

That said Derris would have little effect on the weevils general population and would doubtless affect the bees during flowering... so not for use then. It may offer some protection to seedlings.

The trick is to put a piece of paper (put glue on it if you like) under the plant to catch them then shake the plant but I usually just shake them into my hand and squish what I can.

I don't entirely concur with the 'they do no harm thing'...they don't have much affect as broadies matures true but they can really get into young plants...I have had fatal damage to pea crops and spring sown broadies plus the young feed on the roots etc.

[Shadylane]

Thanks for the info. That's what I've been doing - shaking them into my hand but a few times I've dropped em and they're pretty well camouflaged in the soil. Hopefully will be able to keep on top of em

[Speed Gardener]

I finally got to the bottom of the pea nibbling this year - I'd tried netting, slug pellets, all manner of protection but to no avail, until I spotted some of the little blighters. I boiled up some rhubarb leaves and sprayed the watered down juice onto the young pea shoots a couple of days running and it seems to have stopped them in their tracks. I left one row unsprayed as a control and there they were still, so proving the result. They're not harmless, if they get a good chomp going on an emerging shoot, they can stop it in its tracks and I can't help thinking how much better the plants would be if they hadn't been hobbled at such an early stage. I've got a large rhubarb patch so I'll be reapplying the treatment again until the plants are big enough to look after themselves.
Death to the pea weevil!!