[Arid_gardener] agave snout nose weevil

[Olin Miller]

Sorry to take so long to reply to your question but I had hoped that
somebody better qualified than I would respond.

>From your description it appears that you have correctly identified the
culprit which is the recommended first step in any control program.  Then
there are calendar dates when control is effective.  The information at
http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/html/t-tips/bugs/agave-wv.htm
recommends controlling the grub stage in March and again in June which
suggest application now would not be effective.

The insecticide you asked about is probably Spectracide's Triazicide.    It
is a broad spectrum contact  insecticide which , according to many dot edu
web sites, has a long residual effect and a low LD50 which means it kills 50
% of the creatures studied at the applied dosage.  Before using read the
produce label at
http://www.spectracide.com/ProductCategories/OutdoorInsecticide/TriazicideSoilTurfGranules/ProductLabels/default.htm
to be sure it is legal for your application.

You can probably protect individual plants with an insecticide but if it is
a neighborhood problem you will need to keep doing it.   At
http://cals.arizona.edu/urbanipm/insects/beetles/agaveweevils.html
Dr. Carl Olson, U of A Entomologist, suggests a method to eliminate the pest
from a neighborhood which seems to be the best long term solution if you can
get all of the neighbors to cooperate.

Olin Miller, Master Gardener Volunteer
U of A Cooperative Extension, Maricopa County AZ
============================================
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chuck Sarra" <7t2z at comcast.net>
Sent: Friday, August 31, 2007 9:14 AM
> ...It looks like the Agave plants in our neighborhood have being infested
> by the agave snout nosed weevil.

A quick search of the internet showed that Diazinon was the preferred
chemical to control these pests.

However, as you probably know that product is no longer available.  What
chemical can I apply to my plants to stave off this pest.  I have lots of
beautiful agave in my yard and I don't want to loose them all.

Thanks,  Chuck Sarra   7T2Z at comcast.net