Beetle attack!

[Salt Creep]

Help, small beetles are eating my crassulas! I just spent some time hunting them in the dark and crushing them. What are these things and what's the best way to get rid of them? I should have taken a photo but the ones I could find are all smears now bwahahahaha!!!!

[Salt Creep]

The beetles are back! This time I managed to catch one. I don't have a very good camera, but I took a couple of photos. They're about 7 mm long. Any ideas what this is, and how to control them? They're nibbling on my succulents, mostly on crassulas, echeverias and aeoniums. I've applied a systemic pesticide but is there anything else I can do to stop them? I've resorted to shaking the pots over a bare concrete surface and stomping the beetles when they fall out and play dead. Please help!

[Nick Deinhart]

Looks like possibly Black Vine Weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus) which feeds on a number of ornamentals.


http://bugguide.net/node/view/7480/bgimage

[Boo Hollow]

IMHO - I do not think that this is a weevil. It looks more like one of the flower beetles. Here is a good link to California beetles. You can also send the pictures to these folks or the LA County ag office for identification.

http://www.sbnature.org/collections/...bphomepage.php

[Nick Deinhart]

Actually, the head seems pretty right on for the Broadnose Weevils subfamily Entiminae.Althought the picture quality is not the best!

[Boo Hollow]

Nick - Thanks for illuminating my ignorance. Broad-Nosed Weevils. Who would have thunk. Interesting genus. So what about Otiorhynchus ovatus instead of the Black Pine Weevil??? Is this a common pest in the So. Cal area? Do you know if the USDA publishes any field guides to the insect pests?

The one great thing about this website is the amount and range of knowledge that the varied members bring to the table. I must admit that in seeing the posts I have only realizes just how much more there is that I have to learn.

[Salt Creep]

That does look like the culprit. Any suggestions on where to get a biological control?

Thanks!

[Salt Creep]

Hmm, I think I found a cheap and easy "biological" control: the application of my shoe on the beetles, after they get shaken off the plants. Fortunately they've limited their attacks to potted plants, and I've been able to carry the plant to a hard surface in the yard where I can shake the plants a few times, then stomp on the beetles when they play dead and fall off. I guess I'll be doing this nightly until I can't find any more.