Ground Squirrels Damaging Yucca? Maybe Not.

Q. I have ground squirrels that killed my agave. They dig around it, eating the roots, and finally killed it. What do I do? How should I protect it?

One of the antelope ground squirrels common in the Mojave desert.

A. The ground squirrel you're seeing is referred to as an antelope ground squirrel. They are omnivorous which means they will eat insect grubs if they find them. But when food is scarce my feeling is they will go after anything.

One of the American agave used for landscaping in Las Vegas. The rock mulch has been disturbed by these ground squirrels.

            I am guessing but I think what you're seeing is an attack first by the agave weevil in the spring with the ground squirrels digging up the grubs and eating them. In any regard, it's always best to drench the soil around these agave weevils with an insecticide when spring temperatures begin to warm up. In our climate it is normally the end of March or the first part of April. This application protects all agave. If you have agave and want to keep them, you must protect them from agave weevil in the spring. I don't know of any organic methods that have been tested that I can recommend.

Agave weevil babies (larvae) are found eating the soft and succulent tissue found at the base of leaves and the roots or crown. They attack mostly agave, laying their eggs in when spring temperatures begin to warm in the spring. This is usually around the end of March or early April in the Las Vegas climate.

            American agave is native to the desert Southwest. Irrigate them with a lot of water slowly (so the water can go deep) and then hold off watering them for at least two or three weeks during the summer. Watering infrequently, but allowing the roots to dry between irrigations, will get them growing. The plants are thought to store water in their fleshy leaves. Water them less often if you don’t want them to grow but maintain their size. In any regard, it's probably going to be best if they are watered slowly, like rainfall in the desert.

One of the many kinds of American agave with root weevil or weevils. American agave is one of the hardest hit by agave weevils.