[Alisdair]

I planted a Firmiana simplex that I grew from seed about 30 years ago in a garden I was working in to the south of London which grew away well. I can't say whether it is still there as I haven't been back since.
As to the vine weevil I find the nematode controls work very well though quite expensive.

Who knows, maybe Firmiana contains some chemical the gypsy moths larvae actually don't like; maybe it might be the basis for a deterrent in future. (Biochemists are always busy: some Dutch ones have recently determined that vine weevils find 16 odours attractive, and are working with the best three (one from Taxus baccata, two from Euonymus fortunei) to develop a vine weevil trap/bait. ['The Garden', June 2012, p.8] I hate the things; they destroyed my sedums and sempervivums years ago.)

Another thing that works well but is labour-intensive is picking the adult weevils off at night, by torchlight/flashlight. They are very slow-moving and do show up clearly in the bright light.
Last year in the UK our polytunnel strawberries attracted a plague, and by the time we realised they were so badly afflicted we were picking off dozens each night - our record one night was over one hundred. This year, starting with clean plants in three new beds, we have never found more than three in one night, and for the last couple of weeks the three beds have been completely clear. Judging by how lushly the plants are growing, there hasn't been much if any larval damage to the roots.

[MikeHardman]

Alisdair, perhaps I may offer a tip when searching at night for adult weevils, or for caterpillars of various invertebrates, especially if they are well camouflaged...

It may prove effective to shine the torch from the back/underside of the leaves. The creatures being sought can show up darker than the (translucent) leaves; their camouflage is defeated. The technique has its limitations: it can be difficult in dense foliage, and you have to deal with shadows from other leaves and stems. If you have help, sometimes you can single-out a branch at a time and bend it away from the rest of the shrub; then your helper holds the branch and torch from the back while you work from the front. Also, moving the torch from side to side can enable you to visually separate leaf and twig shadows from critters on the leaves you are looking at (because the other things are further away, their shadows move whereas anything on the leaves of interest does not). It is one of those things: easier to do than describe.

[Alisdair]

Very helpful added tips, Mike; shining from underneath works particularly well if you have one of those very high-output rechargeable flashlights.

[David Bracey]

Control of the Black Vine Weevil (BVW) is another old chestnut. Fortunately I have never seen it in the Mediterranean basin however there are other beetles which fill the same niche.

Generally BVW occurs North of a line from the Loire to the Po rivers. Here it is a serious economic pest of container grown plants, for example in the Loire Valley, France , around Pistoia in Italy, in azalea and rhododendron production close to the Italian lakes, as well as in Holland, Belgium especially in azalea production and in the UK.

It is a real pest in the home garden. My son`s laurel hedge has just about been eaten following the night time excursions by the adult weevil. It leaves characteristic scalloped bites on the edge of the leaves. His local garden centre has sold him all sorts of magic cures without much success as far as I can tell.

It is virtually impossible to control the adult which spends daytime hidden in hedges (often removed around orchards) in leaf litter etc and comes out to eat at night. Collecting the adult  is fine but it takes time (what do you do with the adults, Alisdair?) and it is only as efficient as the infestation in the next-door`s garden.

BVW larvae can be controlled in containers using the nematode Steinernema however this works best under warm conditions. Control is not very good in Northen Europe. Growers mainly use chlopyriphos granules in various formulations mixed into the potting compost.

Why the Dutch wish to work on a trap/bait for the BVW is beyond me. I guess they get research $/£/euros for  biological control work.  There are much bigger problems to solve such as pathogen resistance, eelworm resistance, longer shelf life for vegetables and especially soft fruit, GM etc etc.

[Alisdair]

(what do you do with the adults, Alisdair?)

If there are just one or two I squash them; if lots, drop them into a jar of water.

[Umbrian]

Presumably you have found that dropping them into water does the trick Alisdair? With my plague of caterpillers when I was picking off 200 or more at every "control" - twice a day-  I started by trying to drown them in cold water. but found that this did not do the trick despite a dash of bleach for good measure! The first time - an hour or two later I tipped the bucket onto my compost heap, the caterpillers were not moving and appeared dead. On my next visit with some weeds I discovered them all crawling away! A friend staying with us who is a scientist said I must use boiling water to "cook the enzymes" That is what did with the subsequent gatherings (with eyes averted) and it did the trick within seconds - far more humane I suppose I have to remind myself of the devestation they are causing every time though.

[JTh]

I tried dropping lily beetles in jars with water (in my garden in Norway), but after a while I found it was more humane to kill them right away, squashing them  with my fingers. Do you know if these beetles are a nuisance here in the south as well?

I also used to be sqeamish about killing snails and slugs, they have become a terrible nuisance in Oslo lately, much worse than before and especially this year, and I used to put them in jars with salt, but I now feel it is less barbarian to kill them right away, using the heel of my shoe. Those  watching me may not think so when they see me doing this stepping dance in the garden, but it does help.

I am actually surprised to see  there are so  few pests here in my garden in Greece, except a few aphids,  which are easily checked with a hard spray of water and my fingers, I  don't think I have seen many other bugs, no caterpillars yet, but  we do have olive fruit flies.  

[David Bracey]

JTH see my note above David