Agave Snout Beetle

The variegated agaves that I brought from Concord, California, and planted along my driveway have all died. I thought it was due to overwatering in June, when the first one started to go. Since then I have avoided watering there, but we have had some rain. The death slowly spread downhill. The lowest and healthiest agave was going to make it, I thought, but it suddenly showed signs of droopsy just before I left for Burning Man. When I got back, it was lying flat. I pulled it up, as I had done the others, and it came up rootless with nothing but a rotten bottom. This time, however, there was something different: big, fat white grubs chewing away at its flesh. As I pulled out all the remaining parts and tossed them into my south-sloping driveway at midday in the hot desert sun I took sadistic pleasure in watching the white things twist and squirm as they tried to avoid their inevitable crisping. A few black beetles fell out of the mess too, and figuring that was the adult form I stomped them.

I rarely use insecticide, but I thought the moment called for it. One of my blue agaves had also been suffering for the last month or two. I went to the Builder's Supply Ace Hardware in DHS, but the only garden insecticides they seemed to have were powdered and were for treating foliage. I needed something to go to the roots. I headed down to Desert Hot Springs Florist on Palm Drive. I asked the owner if he could give me insecticide advice and he said maybe. When I told him I had lost several agaves, the light flashed on, he interrupted me and told me it was a big, fat grub and walked me over to where his malathion supply was - except he had sold out. He said it was a big season for the nasty bugs and he himself had lost several plants at his business. He tried calling Haidet's True Value on Pierson, but their line was busy (!), so he gave me driving directions. When I got to Haidet's they still had two bottles on the shelf and I bought one.

Came home, followed the directions about mixing it with water, and soaked the area where I had just pulled out the agave, and then went around the yard soaking the numerous variegated agave babies as well as some other agaves of unknown variety, as well as my big blue agaves - most of which are doing fine. It would have been pleasing to see the grubs coming out of the ground to die miserable deaths, but all I saw were the innocent crickets and ants who just happened to be in the way.

Googling now, I have learned that it is the agave snout weevil or beetle that is the culprit. This very grub is the worm that they toss into tequila bottles and is part of the reason blue agave tequila is so expensive - unless you are willing to drink the kind that has malathion mixed in. Here's an Arizona cactus place that recommends "Grub Killer" granules for long term prevention and maintenance. I think they must mean this stuff that comes from our fine friends at Bayer. I hope I can get it in children's-aspirin-orange flavor.