Vine Weevil - Otiorhynchus sulcatus

Description

Length Adults about 10 mm. Elytra black mottled with small brown patches, grooved, not shiny. Antennae relatively long. Pronotum pebbly in texture.

Identification difficulty
Recording advice

Unless identified by a recognised expert, good photos are required that show the key ID features. Also state the beetle's size in the comments box.

Habitat

Various habitats including parks, gardens and conifer nursery beds. They may even be seen trying to access buildings in colder months.

When to see it

Peak is summer and autumn with new adults emerging in summer.

Life History

Half-grown larvae overwinter in the soil. The larvae are legless, white to pinkish in colour, and have brown heads. Both the adult and larval stages are damaging to seedlings. The adult weevils live above ground feeding on cotyledons and on the bark of seedlings at night. Root weevil larvae are subterranean, feeding on the roots of many kinds of plants including conifer seedlings in nursery beds.

UK Status

Common throughout Britain

VC55 Status

Fairly common in Leicestershire and Rutland.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Vine Weevil
Species group:
Beetles
Kingdom:
Animalia
Order:
Coleoptera
Family:
Curculionidae
Records on NatureSpot:
150
First record:
18/07/2004 (Gould, David)
Last record:
19/03/2025 (Kirby, Will)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.

In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.

Latest images

Latest records