Argentine stem weevil

What to look for

• Adults are small dark weevils with mottled markings and a snout.
• The cream-coloured, legless larvae can be found within damaged stems.
• Plants yellow and become straw-coloured as stems and crowns are injured.

Confirm it before you treat it

Inspect individual plants and the base of affected turf. Dry patch and other insect injury can look similar from above; locate the pest or submit a sample.

What to do next

1. Record adult and larval observations with the date and site.
2. Inspect stems and crowns at the edge of fresh damage.
3. Use local monitoring to plan a labelled program before overlapping generations build.

Where and when to look.

Sydney / coastal NSW: Monitor adults through September–November. Larval damage is often noticed in November and February, and can appear in October during warm NSW seasons. Adult activity may begin in late July when temperatures remain above 10°C.

Other sites where the pest is confirmed: Inspect fine turf as local conditions warm, and keep checking stems and crowns through summer. Earlier starts and overlapping generations make one city's calendar unreliable elsewhere.

These are monitoring windows, not automatic spray dates. Record your location, grass variety, adult observations and fresh damage before planning treatment.

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