Advice
RHS Help & Advice
Privet weevil (Otiorhynchus crataegi)
Plants affected
Mostly privet and lilac, but other plants may also be attacked.
Symptoms
Small neat notches, varying in size, are eaten around the leaf margins during the summer.
Cause
The weevil responsible (Otiorhynchus crataegi) is related to the vine weevil but is smaller, 5-6mm long and brown with paler markings on the wing cases. It was first found in Berkshire in the 1980s and is now well established in south-east England. The adult weevils feed at night during midsummer. The grubs live in the soil and feed on roots but, unlike those of the vine weevil, do not seem to cause significant harm to plants.
Control
Plants usually tolerate the foliage damage, but if you wish you can hand pick the adult weevils at night with the aid of a torch. Another way of collecting them is to shake the branches over an open upturned umbrella and then collect and dispose of the beetles.
If leaf notching is a problem, spray at dusk in midsummer when the weevils are emerging to feed. Applications of bifenthrin (Doff All-In-One Garden Pest Killer, Scotts Bug Clear Gun or Bayer Sprayday Greenfly Killer Plus) may reduce the number of adult weevils.