Insect
Sweet Potato Weevil
A slender weevil with a blue-black body and orange-red legs whose larvae tunnel through sweet potato roots and stems, making tubers inedible.
Symptoms to Look For
- Tunnels and frass throughout the tuber flesh when harvested
- Characteristic bitter, turpentine-like taste in infested tubers
- Adults found on soil surface near plant crowns when disturbed
Affected Plants
Sweet Potato
Organic Solutions
Use clean planting material
Start only from certified weevil-free slips - the weevil is primarily moved from garden to garden on infested planting material.
Harvest on time
Harvest tubers as soon as mature and before the soil cracks, as cracks provide adult weevils with direct access to the tubers.
Prevention
- Hill up soil over the tubers throughout the growing season to prevent cracks forming
- Avoid replanting sweet potato in the same bed the following season
Garden, by Willowbottom recommends only organic, wildlife-friendly solutions. No synthetic pesticides, no harmful chemicals - ever.