One of the most disgusting and disturbing insects I’ve come across in Las Vegas, NV is indeed the Agave Weevil. They can infect: Agave, Yucca, Century, Aloe Vera, basically any plant with a wide leaf blade with a blue/grey, blue/green leaf color.

They can and will kill your plants and the smell is awful! Here is a synopsis for you to be aware of, especially if you have any susceptible plants. By April they come to life and start to look for a place to lay their eggs. The females tunnel their way through the plant to its heart, leaving bacteria and eggs in it’s path. When the eggs hatch they follow their mothers path to the heart of the plant and help rot out the heart. When they are fully mature they make their way out of the plant and onto the next. Their active life cycle is between six and twelve weeks, destroying any plants in their path, until they go dormant again.

It’s difficult to tell when a plant is infected with Agave Weevils, symptoms usually don’t begin to show until the infection is too far to be treated. The plant can look unhealthy, have a strange odor coming from it, or begin to loose healthy blades for no reason. These symptoms can also be caused by frost bite, root rot and countless other issues. Prevention is the only way to keep these little buggers out of your plants and away from the yard you enjoy.

To prevent this from happening to your plants, apply an annual dose of pesticide in early April. It needs to be systemic so the roots can absorb it and the plant can hold it in it’s blades for the active months. The more susceptible plants are the ones reaching maturity, so treat your mature plants with care and pesticides.