Wireworm in potatoes: how to get rid, including how to process it before planting, as well as the proximity to which plant will protect against the pest

Perhaps, not only those who grow potatoes, every gardener in his practice has encountered such a pest as a wireworm. And everyone, no doubt, was convinced how difficult it is to get rid of this evil. To effectively deal with wireworms, you need to figure out who they are, where they live, how they breed, what they eat. The article highlights these issues, as well as effective methods of dealing with this malicious pest of the garden.

Where do wireworms come from

May-June is a time when, on the flowers, leaves of trees and bushes, needles can be found quite seemingly harmless beetles, which are called nutcrackers. Although at this time they go through the stage of additional nutrition, they do not bring much harm. There are about 200 species of them.

But the larvae of these beetles with a dense cover from almost white to brown are called wireworms, wireworms worms or in some places drupes and are malicious pests in the first place potato plantations and root crops.

Larvae from eggs are hatched, which lay the nutcracker female in the ground or rotted wood. Depending on the type of beetle, the clutch can number from 100 to 350 eggs. After 3-4 weeks, larvae hatch from them, which develop in the earth for 3-5 years, grow, and molt many times.

Then the larvae pupate and remain wintering in the ground at a depth of 15–20 cm.

In spring, when the earth warms up well, a new generation of nutcracker beetles emerges from the pupae.

Why the fight against wireworms is necessary

The endless natural conveyor of the appearance of new wireworms is difficult to stop because Nutcracker beetles - flying insects, track and prevent their movement practically impossible. Still, the subsequent stages of development of insects (laying and maturation of eggs, emergence and development of larvae and pupae) pass in the thickness of the earth, therefore surface spraying of plants, as, for example, from Colorado potato beetles, does not give result.

Throughout their life in the land, larvae feed on roots, rhizomes, and root crops of cultivated and wild plants, gnawing holes in them, eat sown seeds. On potato plantations, a tuber damaged by a wireworm begins to rot, and by the time of ripening such a potato will simply become unsuitable for eating. By the time of harvest, losses may amount to 40-60%.

Agronomists recommend necessarily starting the fight against wireworms, if there are 3 or more pieces per 1 square meter of cultivated soil.

Chemistry Assistant

Of course, modern science could not help helping the farmers in solving such a difficult problem as the fight against wireworms. Most often, vegetable growers and summer residents use such drugs as Prestige, Zemlin, Bazudin, Provotoks.

But no matter how much in the description of a particular agent its low toxicity is indicated, using chemical preparations, safety measures should be observed:

• use protective clothing, respirator, gloves;
• during work you can not eat, drink, smoke;
• after processing, it is necessary to change clothes, wash hands and face.

Prestige

The German drug Prestige is an insecticide with a fungicidal disinfectant. Active substances are:

• imidacloprid, blocking the transmission of a nerve impulse at the level of insect receptors;
• pencicuron, penetrating the cuticle of the plant and preventing the germination of the mycelium.

The product has a third hazard class for animals and people, that is, it is necessary to work with it observing safety measures.

It is used to process potato tubers before planting, seedlings of solanaceous crops to protect them not only from wireworms, but also from Colorado potato beetles. An aqueous solution of this product, prepared according to the instructions that are on each package, reduces the amount of tubers damaged by wireworm is 50 or even 70 percent, and protects from the Colorado potato beetle completely.

My family tested the effectiveness of this tool from our own experience, when we were just beginning to develop our summer cottage. Due to inexperience, we did not give due attention to the fight against wireworms, although there were a lot of them. We began to use prestige as a means of combating Colorado beetles. He attracted our attention by the fact that, being in the stems and leaves, it really protects the potatoes from these volatile and creeping pests from neighboring areas. And although the product itself has a 3 class of toxicity (moderately toxic), after 40 days, when the potatoes have already bloomed, the drug is completely decomposed into harmless substances. In the second or third year, I don’t remember exactly, we noticed that the neighbors were complaining about the wireworm invasion, and we’ll hardly see one or two during the season. Yes, Prestige is not a cheap tool, but with one shot it is possible to kill two birds with one stone - to protect potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle and get rid of the wireworm.

Zemlin

This drug is one of the contact-intestinal insecticides with a wide range of effects. It affects the ability of pests to feed and reproduce, leading them to an early death.

Characteristics of Zemlin based on diazinon - table

Use the product in the form of a solution prepared according to the instructions on the packaging, for tillage before planting or sowing plants and after harvesting. Zemlin can be used up to four years in a row to completely get rid of pests that live in the soil, and in the future - as a prophylactic.

I use Zemlin from the wireworm. It helps.

Provotox

Specifically specialized for the destruction of wireworms, the drug Provotox infects the nervous system of pests and is therefore quite effective. It is bred in water according to the instructions on the bag and tubers are sprayed before planting. The basis of the action of Provotox, like Zemlin, is the substance diazinon, the characteristics of the effect of which are described in the table above.

Last year we used Provotox, there were no wireworms, well, in any case, not a single damaged potato was found.

We also had darkness, darkness of wireworms a year ago. I tried a bunch of everything, and chemistry, and not chemistry: dolomite, beans and beans in the holes, onion husks, pine needles, Provotox, Pochin, Aktara, bait. I agree, the amount has slightly decreased. But only a little. This year, on the advice of the seller from the store, I bought Prestige, spray the tubers before planting. The result - all the potatoes are clean. The instructions say that it still helps from some diseases of potatoes, and from the Colorado potato beetle. Until the end of July there was no bug (neighbors had a lot). At the end of July, the beetle began to appear, apparently the effect of the drug was over.

Bazudin

An effective means of combating not only wireworms, but also with aphids on potatoes is Bazudin powder. It is thoroughly mixed with dry sand in a ratio of 1: 4 and brought under the potato for a teaspoon in each well. The drug has a fourth class of toxicity, its danger to humans and animals is small, although the active substance is the same diazinon. At the same time, Bazudin is introduced only once per season, this is enough to protect the early varieties of potatoes for the entire duration of their growing season.

From the wireworm, Barguzin or Bazudin helps perfectly. Zemlin almost does not help. Soaking rye or wheat for siderates in Prestige or Confidor also helps.

The best insecticide against wireworms in my opinion is bazudine in granules, but it has not been released for a long time.

Non-chemical methods of controlling wireworms

Many modern gardeners and potato growers tend not to use chemicals in their areas. There are methods of struggle that have been tested over the years. Of course, they will require additional efforts, but saving the harvest is worth it.

Food lures

Food baits will help get rid of wireworms on the potato planting site, which should be started one and a half or two weeks before planting root crops. It is important to consider that wireworms in the ground move mainly vertically, the horizontal displacement of pests does not exceed 20 centimeters. Given this bait should be placed quite thickly.

You can drop pieces of root vegetables, sprouted corn, wet bran all over the area, marking the place of bait with a peg or otherwise. Digging the bait in a day or two, they select and destroy the pests gathered near it. The bait is returned to the ground and this operation is repeated several times. There will be fewer and fewer wireworms.

Potato Chupa Chups

Halves of cut potatoes are planted on sticks and buried in the ground to a depth of 12-15 cm so that the sticks remain above the surface of the soil. After 2 days they dig up the bait, the wireworms gathered on it are destroyed.

Potato peeling in a jar

Jars with cleanses folded in them or pieces of potatoes are buried in the ground at the very neck and covered with a half of a plastic bottle so that water does not get inside. Every two days, and preferably daily, banks are removed from the ground, pests that accumulate in them are destroyed.

Potato garland

Pieces of potatoes are strung on a rope or twine with an interval of 20-30 cm, some kind of “beacon” is tied to its upper end, the rest of the garland is covered with earth. After a day or two, the bait is removed from the ground, the wireworms are collected and destroyed.

Traditional methods of dealing with wireworms - video

https://youtube.com/watch? v = 0BSa-rZCkJ0

Biological preparation Nemabakt

The drug, created by the All-Russian Research Institute for Plant Protection and the Biodan company, is part of the special Protection soil.

The predatory nematodes contained in the soil are harmless to humans and the environment, but deadly to wireworms, larvae of other pests, Colorado potato beetles, and root eaters. To protect potato plantations, it is enough to pour half a teaspoon of protective soil into the hole when planting. It is advisable that the soil at the potato planting site be moist.

Soil “Protection” - video

Plants against wireworms

Since there are plants loved by the wireworm, there must also exist those that he does not tolerate.

Legumes - the enemy of the wireworm

Peas, beans, black beans, sown in the rows of potatoes, as well as marigolds, serve as an excellent protection of root crops from wireworms. Some gardeners plant beans directly in the hole with potatoes. They indicate that the potato remains intact wireworm, and the beans themselves grow a good crop.

White mustard

After harvesting, the area where the potatoes grew can be seeded with white mustard. Seeds are scattered on the surface of the soil at the rate of 5 grams per 1 m²close up with a rake to a depth of 1-2 cm. This agricultural technique will allow not only to rid the site of wireworms, but also to improve soil permeability to air and moisture, to suppress many weeds, to increase the fertility of the earth, if you use mustard as a green manure (close the green mass of plants mown before flowering to soil).

If there is no mustard seed, then it is possible to sprinkle mustard powder at the rate of 0.5 kg per one hundred square meters on the surface of the site where the potatoes are dug and all the plant residues removed. In this state, the land is left until the period of the first frosts in the area approaches. Then the site is dug up or plowed.

By planting potatoes, mustard can be sown in row-spacings, and then mowed or weeded and planted into the soil before flowering. Such a neighborhood will help to save potatoes not only from wireworms, but also from late blight, since mustard produces a fungicidal effect, and the crop of root crops will be higher, because the soil will be enriched due to green fertilizers.

Preventive measures against wireworms

The appearance of pests on the site is always easier to prevent than to get rid of them later. Therefore, measures to prevent the appearance of wireworms on the site in general and on potato plantings in particular are popular with vegetable growers.

Late digging or plowing

In the middle lane, where the first frosts can begin as early as September, you can use this an effective way to destroy wireworms, like digging or plowing a land plot after first freeze. This will lead to the fact that the pests will be closer to the surface of the soil, will not be able to take refuge in deeper layers that will not freeze, and will die during the first frosts.

In the southern regions, where frosts come in November and even December, this method is not applicable, since by this time winter plowing or digging of plots has already been completed.

Destruction of wheatgrass and other weeds

One of the favorite treats for wireworms is the wheatgrass rhizomes, which often clogs areas where potatoes are planted.

By destroying this weed, like everyone else, the gardener thereby makes the place for future potato planting unattractive to the wireworm, depriving the pest of food.

Soil Acidity Adjustment

The wireworm prefers acidic soils, therefore, to get rid of the pest, I lower the pH by adding a handful of lime, ash or eggshell to the potato planting hole. On neutral soils, a solution of 5 g of potassium permanganate gives a good result in the fight against wireworm (potassium permanganate) in 10 liters of water, which is poured half a liter into each well prepared for potatoes. This method is more applicable in small areas.

Exotic Pest Management

Observing the behavior of nutcracker beetles and their larvae, vegetable growers find many extraordinary methods of pest control. There are quite original ones among them. An example is the video below, where beer is used to catch the beetles.

Beer as the bait of nutcracker beetles - video

Summing up all of the above, it should be noted that not all methods of controlling wireworm are equally effective in any area. Most likely, every gardener who has encountered this problem should choose the methods that seem him the most suitable in all respects, and then apply them on your site and choose the most effective.