Could it be the chickens that solved the weevil infestation?

by Barrie
(South Africa)

Makings of sweet potato and butternut soup; no sign of the weevils.

Could it be the chickens that solved the weevil infestation?

For two years we grew sweet potatoes with great success; then we got a weevil problem that became so bad that it was no longer worth growing them. I gathered the only solution is heavy poisoning which we refused to do in our organic garden.

Then we got seven hens that roamed freely in that part of the garden. They would damage some plants like green beans and kale, but not the sweet potatoes.

Imagine our surprise when the tubers that remained in the soil sprouted, and there was no sign of the weevil; could the hens have eradicated these nasty pests?

I like to think so; let's see what the academics think.

Our hens solved a similar problem with the Mexican bean beetle; the eat the larvae during the winter and when they emerge, and browse through the plants looking for the adults for food.

I wonder if hens could do the same for the Fall army worm?

B