Climbing Hydrangea Pests!

Hi there,

Last summer I had an awful time with pests eating the leaves of my climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris). I *think* they were weevils, as they were eating large notches on the edges of the leaves & left the plant very damaged without anything near a bloom.

This spring, the hydrangea has leaved out nicely, but I'm starting to notice those nasty notches again!!!

In an effort to prevent another infestation, I applied a Cold Shots nematode about 3 weeks ago and have applied tanglefoot strips to the base of the plant.

Is there anything else I can do to combat these weevils?

I've still got some Bug B Gone that I tried on them last year, but will this also kill the nematodes?

Might this be a different bug that needs to be handled differently?

Thanks for any & all help.

Wendy, in Vancouver, BC.

 

If not weevils then maybe caterpillars. If you go out at night with a flashlight and look they will probably be caught in the act.

May be too cold for nematodes, what did the package say about temperatures and timing?

 

The nematodes I applied were "Cold Shots", designed for lower temperatures (but it has been really cold). I got them from the Bug Lady http://www.thebuglady.ca her description:

Cold Shots
Pests affected: Weevils
Application time: Soil temp at 5 C (Feb – Apr)
Area covered: 20 large shrubs or 160 1 gallon pots
Contents: 5 million


I couldn't find any caterpillars with my flashlight. The only bugs I've seen around the plant are ants. Could they be doing the damage?

 

Not unless they were leaf-cutting ants.

 

Thanks!!

Not likely to be leaf-cutters, right? My Wikipedia lookup said they were in Central/South America.

Maybe I missed the caterpillars - I looked on the leaf undersides - where else would I find them on the plant?

 

Finally my nocturnal bug hunts have borne fruit ... err weevils!

Yes, I have found a few of the nasty things munching away at my hydrangea!

 

That's what would be expected as weevils are abundant here.

 

I have discovered similar notches out of both my hydrangeas (neither is a climbing variety) and will look for weevils tonight after dark. Oddly, they have not made it to my evergreen clamatis (fingers crossed). I have learned that it's best to do two doses of the nematodes - one now and one in the fall.

 

Sharrison,

That's exactly what I did. A shot of nemotodes last spring & again in the fall has brought me a virtually weevil free hydrangea this year!

Hope you're able also get rid of yours!