Hello, everyone. I think I might have made a big mistake and I could use some help...
About a year-and-spare-change ago I started a compost heap in a plastic grid composer, using mainly leaves and mowed grass. This week I finally dug into it, and found the compost inhabited by fat creamy-white grubs up to 2cm in length. I didn't think much of it and simply picked them out of the compost I planned to use, returning some to the composter and disposing of the others. Doing some research this weekend, I discovered to my dismay that what I'm dealing with are vine weevil larvae!
Here's what worries me: I used the soil they produced throughout most of my garden, and although I'm sure I removed all the grubs before using the soil, I'm still worried whether there are any sneaky grubs eating through my plants. I'm also not quite sure whether to expect all the eggs are hatched; I didn't *see* anything that might have been eggs, but that's hardly any assurance, right?
On the other hand, most of the information I've read focuses on the disaster the larvae make in potted plants - and I've got an outdoor garden, complete with a surrounding forest of Other Stuff the larvae can nibble on, and hopefully an array of natural enemies they can fall prey to. Furthermore, I've been working in this garden for nearly ten years now, and although I've often seen adult vine weevils lurking about in the summer, I've never had any problems with them, whether it's the adults eating the leaves, or the larvae at the roots (and this week is the first time I've ever actually *seen* the larvae).
I've read through this tread -
And what should I do with the composter? Should I leave the larvae in there and pick them out before usage? (I got the impression they were churning out some nice compost) Or dispose of them all and good riddance? Is there any way of preventing them showing up again, apart from insecticide?
Sorry about the long post - and thank you for any advice you might have!
Cheers, Marge