Effective methods of controlling wireworms. Wireworm and methods of dealing with it What does the wireworm eat?

The problem of many gardeners is wireworm. The pest itself is the larva of a click beetle, which looks like a caterpillar - a worm. The pest received this name due to its elongated, rigid body, which resembles a short (10-45 mm) piece of yellow-brown shiny wire. The larva lives in the soil, seriously damaging and destroying crops. His favorite plants are potatoes, beets, carrots, onions, cereals, and sunflowers. Moreover, it does not feed on leaves, but exclusively on roots and tubers.

How to find out if there is a wireworm on your site? It is easy to detect, just cut the potato in half, where there are holes - traces. In the fall, while digging up the ground, you can see small yellow worms.

Why does the wireworm start?

Acidic soil with the presence of weeds, especially wheat grass and thistle;
Constantly moist soil;
Poorly fertilized heavy and clay soil;
Vegetables planted close to each other favor the development and reproduction of larvae.

Pay attention to whether yours is among these reasons. By eliminating them, perhaps in 2-3 years you will remove the wireworm.

How to remove wireworm

An important condition for getting rid of wireworms is to sow mustard, rye, and peas. But not everyone has the opportunity or desire to grow additional crops. There are many others simple ways cope with the pest.

Choose several control methods that suit you and suit the conditions of your site. Add a little patience and effort, then you will certainly defeat the malicious pest of plots and fields.

A wireworm is the name given to the larva of a click beetle that feeds on root crops (carrots, potatoes, beets, etc.), and also damages young shoots of grapes, sunflowers and other crops. There are several methods to combat this pest. In addition, technologies have been developed to prevent the beetle from entering the garden at all. We’ll talk about how to deal with wireworms later in the article.

Description of the pest

The wireworm is a larva with a length of 10 to 45 mm. Depending on the variety, its color can vary from yellow to dark brown. It was called the wireworm because of its rather hard, shiny skin. Sexual dimorphism in larvae is usually not pronounced. The wireworm (a photo of it can be seen in this article) has an elongated body shape, which consists of 13 segments. He has 3 pairs of legs. They are very well developed.

By mid-summer, the activity of the larvae decreases significantly. The fact is that this pest does not like dry, hot soil. During this period, the larvae go deep into the ground (30 centimeters).

Preventive measures

First of all, a number of preventive measures should be taken. In this case, the question of how to deal with wireworms may not arise at all. First, you need to alternate crops. Wireworm larvae get used to monotonous food. When it changes, they simply die of hunger. In addition, the wireworm does not eat legumes at all. Therefore, potatoes, carrots or beets should be planted after beans or peas.

Wireworms love moist, acidic soil. Therefore, the area should be limed with dolomite flour. They do this once every three years. All tops from the potato plot and from the beds should be removed and burned annually.

Do not plant plants too close to each other. You should also be sure to weed the area. In particular, the click beetle loves wheatgrass and fireweed. These plants should not be present in potatoes and in beds with carrots and beets at all. You should also get rid of other weeds.

Loosening the soil

So, preventive measures accepted, but the larvae still appeared on the site. What to do in this case? How to deal with wireworm? Enough effective way The destruction of this pest is by digging and loosening the soil. After performing this procedure he dies great amount larvae. You need to loosen the rows of potatoes, carrots and beets 3 times a season. This will get rid of most of the pests. In a potato field, loosening should be done to a depth of at least 15 cm.

Etching holes with chemicals

When planting potatoes or other root crops, you should also take some measures to get rid of a pest such as wireworm. How to deal with it even before the plants emerge? When planting potatoes, you need to pour a little ash into each hole. This will reduce the acidity of the soil and, accordingly, repel the pest. Onion peels are also sometimes placed in the holes. You can also pour in a solution of potassium permanganate (5 g/10 l) or a specialized preparation designed to combat wireworms specifically.

Unfortunately, most of the means that were widely used to destroy this pest in the Soviet years are currently prohibited. The fight against wireworms can be done using only two drugs: Baduzin and Provotox. The first is much more poisonous and should be used carefully. For 1 kg of the drug “Baduzin” there are about one hundred grams of pure poison. The Provotox product contains only forty grams of it.

Use of saltpeter

In combination with these two drugs, ammonium nitrate (25 g/1 m2) can be added to the soil. Sometimes ammonium sulfate is used instead in the same amount. Potatoes should be spilled with saltpeter on the fifteenth and thirtieth days after planting. The product “Banduzin” will weaken the larvae, and saltpeter will kill them completely.

Dressing with herbal infusions

With frequent use of the same drug, its effectiveness is significantly reduced, since this pest, like cockroaches, very quickly adapts to poisons. However, wireworms on potatoes or other root vegetables can also be removed using infusions of various herbs. For this purpose, nettle (500 g/10 l of water) or dandelion (200 g/10 l) is used. For twenty holes of potatoes you need about ten liters of this infusion. Spray the area with it several times every week.

Planting barley or oats

The wireworm, the methods of combating which are quite varied, can be removed in one more way. This technology is quite effective, but it is labor intensive. In the spring, two weeks before planting root crops, plant the area with oats or barley. 10 seeds are buried in the soil at a distance of 70 cm from each other. After the shoots appear, they are dug up and burned.

Using baits

During the summer, you can also take measures to destroy pests such as wireworms. How to deal with it during the growth of root crops? Pest bait should be used several times a season. The eyes are removed from the potato tubers and cut into pieces. You can also use carrots or beets as bait. The pieces are placed on thin sticks and stuck into the ground in the garden bed at a distance of about 10 cm. After a few days, the sticks are pulled out and the pests are destroyed. Next, they put a new bait on them and dig in again. This is repeated several times.

For potatoes, you can use a slightly different method. Place pieces of root vegetables in wide-necked jars and bury them on the site. After a few days, they dig it up, destroy the pests and repeat the procedure. Instead of cans you can use plastic cups for 200-500 g. The bait should be slightly moistened with water. Click beetles get into cups and cannot get out. This event can be held all summer, starting in spring and ending in late autumn. If you do it for a couple of years in a row, you can significantly reduce the number of pests on the site or even eliminate the beetle completely. Of course, unfortunately, for very large potato fields such a method, although not particularly labor-intensive, is unlikely to be suitable. In this case, it is worth trying other methods.

Use of potassium chloride and lime

How else can you destroy such a pest as wireworm? How to deal with it if neither liming the soil nor bait helped? In this case, it is worth trying to add potassium chloride to it during the autumn digging of the soil. You can also cover the entire area with lime. In the spring, when the snow melts, it will begin to penetrate the soil, destroying the larvae.

How to deal with wireworms in the fall

Another way to combat larvae is to spread tops or straw around the area in piles. They are left until the onset of autumn frosts. After this, they are collected and burned. This pest is very fond of rotting grass and gathers in such heaps in large quantities. A somewhat more effective method is not to spread the tops around the area, but to bury them in the soil. In the fall, holes are made in a potato field, straw is placed in it and covered with boards on top. After the onset of cold weather, the bait is also taken out and burned.

This method can be used not only in autumn, but also in spring. Rotted leaves and grass are placed in holes and covered with something on top. Click beetles climb into them in search of food. This method of pest control is considered very effective.

Seed treatment in spring

The fight against wireworms can also involve processing planting material. Carrot and beet seeds should be soaked in a solution of the Regent preparation before planting. Take one dose and dissolve it in three liters of water. Soaking is performed for two hours. After this, the disinfected seeds are planted in the beds.

What to do if nothing helps

What to do if all the measures described above did not help? How to deal with wireworms in such a way that you are guaranteed to get rid of it? To do this, you should plant the area where previously there were beds with beets and carrots, peas and beans. Grow them in this place for several years, and the wireworm, which simply has nothing to eat, will disappear.

By the way, bean tops, like onion peels, can be buried in the ground along with potato tubers. This plant can repel pests.

Well, we have figured out in some detail how to get rid of wireworms on summer cottage. Although there are quite a few chemicals designed to combat this particular pest, it is easier to do this than, say, to remove the Colorado potato beetle. Get rid of weeds, loosen the soil, burn tops, add bait if necessary. In this case, the wireworm will become less and less numerous, and, most likely, in a few years it will completely disappear from the site.

Not a single potato crop was spoiled by wireworm until I found truly effective methods of controlling it. I will tell you how to rid your garden of this pest forever in this article.

The wireworm is a click beetle larva with a yellow-brown color and a body length of up to 4 cm. In this state, it feeds not only on root crops, but also on seeds and above-ground parts of crops.

Important! The absence of measures to combat wireworms can lead to the destruction of 60-70% of the entire crop.

The pest itself lives in the soil, as evidenced by the large number of tunnels in the carrot or potato crop. Its lifespan is 5 years, where for 3-4 years it has the appearance of a larva. The greatest activity of wireworms occurs in dry weather.

How to detect a pest

The wireworm prefers potatoes, causing serious damage to the crop. There are several ways to find out that tubers are affected by this pest:

dug up tubers have narrow holes or dark small depressions;
while loosening or digging the garden, larvae were discovered;
individual potato bushes began to wilt, which indicates damage by a larva that feeds mainly in one place.

Methods of disposal

Wireworms can be found in both open ground, as well as in greenhouses and hothouses, therefore it is recommended to cultivate the land under any crop growing conditions.

Folk remedies

Many summer residents prefer folk remedies in the fight against larvae, not wanting to purchase chemicals or not always having the opportunity to go to the city to get them. In any case, proven folk remedies against this pest come to the rescue.

Treat the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate (2 g of manganese per 20 liters of water) before planting crops. This event will not only disinfect the land, but will also scare away uninvited guests.
Use of mineral salts. They are sprinkled on the soil surface to repel larvae and also as fertilizer.
Liming the soil, also used for acidic soils, will help reduce the spread of larvae.
The simplest, but no less effective way is to use ash. Wood ash can be added to holes when planting crops, and also sprinkled between rows.
Usage eggshells. Broken shells are scattered across the rows of planted crops.

Particularly popular among gardeners is a decoction of insecticidal plants. To prepare it you will need: 250 g of dandelion and coltsfoot, 150 g of celandine and 500 g of nettle. These prepared components are to be crushed, then 10 liters are poured warm water and infuse for 3-4 days. The beds are watered with the prepared infusion at intervals of 5-7 days.

When folk remedies do not work well enough or crops are heavily infested with wireworms, it is recommended to use chemical or biological preparations.

Important! When choosing chemicals in the fight against larvae, you must strictly follow the instructions and not exceed the recommended dosage.

The most common and effective drugs are:

Nemabact is a combination of bacteria and nematodes. Its action is that the nematode enters the beetle larva and then releases the bacterium. The latter, in turn, leads to the disintegration of the larva from the inside.
Diazonin is an insecticide with a wide spectrum of effects. He fights effectively against many garden pests, including wireworm.
Prestige is a product that has a narrow spectrum of action. It is used to treat tubers before planting. The drugs Celeste and Cruiser also have a similar effect.
Force – biological agent, used in the fight against many soil pests. It is a pathogenic fungus that is effective in combating wireworms and other larvae, but is absolutely safe for useful inhabitants soil. Metarizin is also an analogue of Force.
Provotox is an insecticide that is used at different stages of crop growth and is safe for earthworms and other representatives of “beneficial” microflora.

Agrotechnical methods

Taking soil care measures is an integral part of pest control. In order to get rid of the larvae, it is necessary to adhere to some rules of crop rotation. So it is better to plant potatoes in the place where there were previously beans, peas, wheat, beets, pumpkins, cucumbers or herbs. Planting carrots in place of cucumbers, tomatoes and cabbage is preferable.

Do not neglect the autumn digging of the garden. Deep digging before the onset of frost allows you to kill up to 90% of all larvae. An equally common control method is to plant green manure plants that repel this pest. These properties have:

alfalfa;
mustard;
lupine;
phacelia.

Organization of traps

Pest control on the site can also be done using simple traps. To do this, pieces of potato are placed on a piece of wire and buried in future planting areas of crops susceptible to this pest. It is recommended to do this to a depth of 10 cm, because it is in top layer The soil is inhabited by wireworms. You can remove the trap with larvae after 3-4 days.

Potato pieces can also be placed in a jar or bottle, which is buried up to the neck and covered. Also, after 3-4 days you can remove the trap with larvae. It is advisable to carry out such activities in the spring before planting crops.

In order to rid your area of wireworms forever, it is necessary to take a set of measures. Only a combination of several factors, such as correct crop rotation, use of chemical or biological drugs, agricultural techniques and folk remedies can eliminate the pest from the soil and save the harvest.

How to get rid of wireworms in the garden? This question worries many summer residents. The pest happily makes holes in beets, carrots, and potatoes. He does not disdain corn and barley.

The fight against it is complex. All methods are divided into two types: agrotechnical and chemical. On the Internet you can find the most unusual ways. Some are dubious, so let's find out.

Agrotechnical measures

Maintaining crop rotation. Every year, move the planting to another place, while returning to the old one no earlier than after 4 seasons. It’s good if the area of the site allows this. But some gardeners are forced to plant, for example, potatoes for many years in a row in the same place.

The life cycle of the click beetle is 5 years. For 4 of these years he is just a larva, the same wireworm. Therefore, the method only works with a five-year crop rotation.

Humidity. Wireworm loves moisture in the soil. If there is a lack of it, the larvae die. Well, yes, in the dry summer of 2010, almost all summer residents in the country complained about it. And only those who had the opportunity to constantly water their plantings did not see this nasty worm.

Accordingly, the larvae love dry soil. With normal humidity, the wireworm cannot always find food. And when it is elevated, he loses the ability to move and suffocates.

Hence the conclusion - put all your efforts into normal watering. Otherwise, you will again collect the remains of holey root vegetables.

Weeding. Very often you can see the following picture: beautiful well-groomed vegetable gardens, and in the spaces between them there are thickets of wheatgrass, burdock, and thistle. And then the owners complain about the ineffectiveness of the weeding method. They say their garden is clean, but the wireworm is raging.

Keep not only the beds clean, but also the lines between them and adjacent areas. Remove wheatgrass, burdock and thistle. If you need a grassy border between vegetable gardens, then sow it with clover or lupine. The wireworm can't stand them. Because on their roots live huge colonies of nodule bacteria that produce nitrogen. And the larvae do not like mineral salts and fertilizers.

Joint plantings. It is for the above reason that it is recommended to plant legumes in the same hole with potatoes. Of course, on large area this is problematic to do. But on small area It is quite possible for everyone. At the same time it saves space.

It’s just important to remember: if potatoes are treated with insecticides, then the whole green blades of legumes cannot be eaten. But ripe beans, peas or beans are quite suitable for eating after shelling.

If you are still afraid that you will eat poison, then leave the harvest for joint plantings next year.

Traps. Most effective method deliverance. But very labor-intensive. Although, do you need your harvest intact? No damage, rot, holes? Then let's get started:

Throughout the gardening season, barley or corn seeds are planted in the affected area. For each hundred square meters, 9-12 holes are dug with a depth of no more than 5 cm. 16-18 grains soaked in insecticide are placed at the bottom. Sprinkle with earth. As soon as the first sprouts appear, they dig out the contents of the hole and are surprised at the number of larvae. Then they are taken outside the site and burned. Because it is very difficult to crush a dense larva. If you are not squeamish, you can tear each one in half with your fingers.
They make the same holes, only instead of grains they pour a handful of raw fresh manure or rotted wet grass. Just don’t sprinkle it with earth, but cover it with scraps of boards or pieces of slate. After 2 days you can harvest the “harvest”.
Cut old root vegetables into medium cubes and soak them in a solution of any insecticide for 2 hours. Then they are buried in the same holes as described above. There is no need to dig them up, because the wireworm will eat the poisoned treat and die.
If you are against the use of chemicals on your site, then drop in cubes of root vegetables without pre-soaking. Then every 3 days you will have to pick out the bait from the holes and take it outside the site. There it must be burned along with the pests. In order for them to burn well, they are either thrown into a powerful fire, or doused in the old fashioned way with kerosene (gasoline) and set on fire.
Place a piece of root vegetable on a twig, stick or wire. Bury the structure to a depth of about 12 cm so that a visible tail remains on the surface. After a day or two, you can dig up the “good” and admire the vile guests.
Lay strips of polyethylene or oilcloth on the beds and grease them with thick sugar syrup. Adult beetles and many other pests flock to such bait. But they will no longer be able to peel off and run away. Just use this method early spring or autumn, when not active summer bees and bumblebees. Otherwise, they will also stick to the stripes in pursuit of sweets.
In glass or plastic containers place finely chopped root vegetables, pour in a little liquid sugar syrup. Place it in the area so that the neck of the container is at a depth of 1-1.5 cm below the soil level. They check every day. There will be both wireworm larvae and beetles inside. You don’t have to add syrup, then be sure to take a vessel with a narrow neck so that the adults cannot fly out.

Additives during planting. Some substances are placed in the hole along with the tuber that kill or repel the wireworm.

Specialized soil. It says “Protection” on the packaging. You only need a pinch of it. This soil contains a predatory nematode that does not harm club or other insects. But he really likes to eat wireworm larvae. You can also pour this soil into the garden bed. thin layer before sowing beet and carrot seeds. Sometimes one application every 4 years is enough. The nematode destroys from 70 to 99% of the larvae.
Eggshells, finely ground. Mix with aromatic sunflower oil in a ratio of 1 to 1. A dessert spoon is enough for one hole. Having tasted such a treat, the wireworm dies almost immediately.
Handful onion peel or dry citrus peels. Also applied at planting. According to reviews, it repels many pests well.
Dry pine or spruce needles. Matchbox per planting hole.

Salt. Simple kitchen salt. It is generously scattered over the surface of the earth, then harrowed. The wireworm quickly leaves such soil. But the procedure can be repeated only after 7 years, not earlier. Otherwise, it will go away with the pest lion's share harvest.

Digging. In the fall, after the onset of the first stable frosts, the soil is deeply plowed or dug up. Pupated larvae and overwintering adults will die from frost. In this case, the processing depth must be at least 16-18 cm, otherwise there will be no use.

In the spring, immediately after the ground thaws, but before the main planting begins, it is recommended to dig up the beds again, carefully breaking up large clods. sunlight destructive for overwintered larvae. And the rest will be picked up by the birds.

Chemical measures

Liming. This nasty insect loves acidic soils. Therefore, be sure to deoxidize the soil regularly. This may be the addition of lime, chalk, dolomite flour, ash. Only ash should come from deciduous trees.

Legendary potassium permanganate. Before planting, spill the soil with a warm pale pink solution. Plant and sow cultivated plants no earlier than one day after such treatment.

In early spring, immediately after the soil warms up, and in August, after harvesting, they do not wait for the pest to crawl to other feeding areas. Spray the soil thoroughly with a strong dark burgundy solution at a temperature of about 80°C. At the same time, etch most pathogenic bacteria and pathogenic microbes.

Pre-planting treatment of tubers. They are sprayed with special long-acting preparations. Within 56-58 days there is protection from pests. After this period, the wireworm will again attack the plantings. However, if during these two months you carried out other activities, then it is quite possible that there will simply be no one to devour the harvest.

Mineral salts. Adding ammonium sulfate to the ground before planting. For 1 sq. m. 16-18 g of fertilizer is enough. Spread evenly over the soil surface and cover with a flat cutter, rake or harrow. Subsequent watering or natural rain will allow the mineral salt to penetrate into the deeper layers. The larvae really do not like such additives. Can be replaced with ammonium nitrate. The dosage is identical.

There is a recipe that, according to reviews, also works well. It is necessary to dilute 2 ml in 10 liters of water ammonia. Water the plantings at the roots with this solution. Up to half a liter per plant. Treatment is carried out once a month.

Plant tagetes (marigolds) along the perimeter of the site and, if possible, between rows. You can’t get rid of the larvae, but adults avoid such beds.
Do not leave food for the wireworm during the winter. That is, remove absolutely the entire crop from the site. Many gardeners do not harvest small root crops, perhaps they will rot over the winter. This goes without saying, but before rotting they will have time to feed a considerable number of larvae. Therefore, dig up even the smallest carrots and potatoes.
The land should not be empty. Look in nature, is there a bare patch of soil somewhere? No. After harvesting, your plot must be sowed with green manure. The best ways to get rid of wireworms are clover, rye, white mustard. In the spring, all this stuff needs to be dug up right with the stems and leaves. This way you will also get a good dose of natural organic fertilizer. At the same time, the nitrogen content in the soil will increase. After such an addition, the wireworm will avoid your beds; the larvae do not like nitrogen.
If you have chickens on your farm, do not burn the worms collected in traps. Give them to your birds, let them feast on them.

Otherworldly forces

There is a recommendation to sprinkle the area with holy water or read conspiracies. Interesting advice. We do not in any way diminish the importance of such procedures for those people who believe in their effectiveness. We simply encourage you to remember the famous folk wisdom: “Trust in God, but don’t make a mistake yourself.” One sprinkling of holy water or thrown words will not be enough if after this you sit down with folded arms. You can wait a very long time to get rid of the misfortune if you do nothing yourself.

How to get rid of wireworms in the garden? The most important thing is to comply with the full range of activities for five years. Because after destroying the first wave of larvae, you will be happy and fold your arms. But they will be replaced by older individuals. Don't give up, and soon you will be able to cleanse your garden of this unpleasant scourge.

Video: how to defeat a wireworm

As a rule, the appearance of wireworms on potato plot can be determined immediately. Negative Impact for planting consists of grinding away the tubers and shoots of the potato bush. Since the depth to which it can burrow can be several meters, getting to this pest is not easy. However, there are a number of ways to protect potatoes from wireworms and how to treat them.

Potatoes as a garden crop

This type of fruit and vegetable crop, like potatoes, is considered the most important vegetable, which is grown in almost every summer cottage as soon as spring comes. The South American continent is considered the birthplace of potatoes. The appearance of these edible root vegetables in Western Europe Thanks to Columbus, it dates back to the 16th century.

However, despite the fact that potatoes were brought to our country under Peter I, its popularity as garden crops became wide only end of the 19th century centuries. Thus, in Russia, potatoes have long been considered the second bread, occupying almost the main place on our tables. This root vegetable is suitable for consumption in numerous preparations:

boiled;
fried;
baked;
as an independent dish;
as a side dish;
as a component in salads.

About the wireworm

Wireworms are 3-centimeter larvae of the click beetle that infect most of the tuber crop by creating complex tunnels in the root crop.

Wireworm in potatoes

putrefactive bacteria;
nematodes;
fungal spores.

Since the area affected by wireworms also includes root system, then the quantitative indicator of yield, the harvest time of which is autumn, is significantly reduced.

The habitat where this potato pest lives is quite extensive, which is why its larvae can be found everywhere.

Helpful information. Potatoes are not the only crop susceptible to infestation by wireworm larvae.

Planting potato bushes is attractive to wireworms due to large quantity minerals added to the soil by fertilization. The time of the most active manifestation of the life activity of harmful larvae is considered to be the entire growing season - from the moment of germination of tuberous root crops until the drying of the potato bush. However, the likelihood that it is possible to completely remove breeding foci from a potato field is small. Therefore, the answer to the question: are they planting potatoes affected by wireworms will definitely be negative.

Methods to combat wireworms

Despite the fact that it is not possible to completely remove this pest from a garden plot, there are ways to combat wireworms in a potato field, as well as tips on how to significantly reduce the number of these pests and protect potato plantings from damage by their larvae, including:

Adding substances to the soil that contribute to the death of potato pests and also prevent the proliferation of this type of insect;
Arrangement of various traps with baits, both for larvae and adults;
Tubers are treated before planting using solutions enriched with active substances;
Carrying out mechanical digging;
Loosening the soil in a potato plot.

Loosening the soil in a potato plot

The danger posed by wireworms as a pest affecting the garden lies in the infection of damaged root crops with various diseases, which results in almost complete loss of the harvest, so the fight against this insect is a necessary agronomic measure.

Preventive measures against wireworm larvae:

Compliance with crop rotation;
Timely harvesting of root crops;
Decrease in soil acidity;
Attracting on garden plot hostile to the click beetle biological species birds and insects, including:

starling;
thrush;
turtledove;
rook;
wagtail;
tit;
ground beetle.

Destruction of weeds.

Helpful information. An increase in soil acidity is indicated by the appearance of plantain and sorrel on the site.

Making wireworm traps

There is more than one way to make and place bait for catching wireworms:

Soak spoiled tubers in insecticide for 24 hours. Next, bury them in the ground where the pest accumulates and mark this area, sticking a small branch into the ground. After a couple of days, collect tubers with crawling wireworms and get rid of them;
IN glass jar half-liter volume, place pieces of carrots and chopped potatoes and bury them, leaving the neck level with the ground. A homemade trap of this type will collect both larvae and adult beetles. However, it is recommended to cover the neck with paper to make it difficult for the insect to escape;
Before spring planting, you can bury a wire with carrots, beets and potatoes strung on it to a 10-centimeter depth along the entire length of the ridge. All this must be cut into pieces. After 3 days, vegetables with caught larvae can be fed to chickens;
Since adult beetles hide in moist, shaded areas during the day, piles of grass or mullein can be used as bait for them. After a few days, insects collected during the daytime must be burned in a fire. A similar event must be carried out in the autumn season, provided that the grass and mullein will lie before the onset of cold weather;
The permanent habitat of wireworm larvae is the seedlings of plants such as:

corn;
oats;
barley;
wheat;
mustard.

Larvae in wheat

Creating a bait involves planting a small amount of seeds of the above crops 2 weeks before planting potato tubers, so that later along with them you can remove the pests that have settled on the plants. Planting of new crops can be carried out throughout the summer season, however, the seed material must first be kept in an insecticidal solution, which can destroy a significant population of wireworms.

Important! Plants whose seeds have been treated with insecticides are poisonous and prohibited for consumption - they must be destroyed.

Chemical and folk methods of control

Add to list traditional methods includes:

Spreading ground eggshells throughout the planting area;
Etch the holes before planting the tubers using a solution made from 500 grams of nettle infusion (you can take 200 grams of dandelion infusion instead), diluted in 10 liters of water. The amount of this essence is enough to etch 20 planting holes. Such treatment must be carried out every 3 days for a week;
When digging the soil, in order to reduce the acidity level, lime the soil with one of the following neutralizing substances:

lime;
chalk;
ash;
dolomite flour.

You can use this remedy for wireworms when planting potatoes , like ammonium nitrate or ammonium sulfate, added in an amount of 20 grams per 1 m2 to the soil, causes the larvae to burrow deeper into the ground;
Root fertilizer with potassium permanganate solution, at the rate of 4 grams per 10 liters of water, is applied: a measure of 200 grams - one hole.

Helpful information. In addition, as a natural folk remedy Tar can be of great help against wireworms.

The list of drugs based on chemistry includes the following names:

Decis;
Karate;
Aktellik;
Fastak;
Barguzin;
Initiative;
Zemlin.

Note. Many gardeners are wondering what remedy exists to treat potatoes against wireworms before planting in order to ensure necessary protection potatoes from wireworms during planting. There is a very good and effective one for this. chemical drug- “Prestige”.

Other potato pests and diseases

The main list of pests and diseases affecting potato planting material, includes:

Colorado beetle;
stem nematode;
mole cricket;
late blight;
common scab;
black scab;
brown rot;
fusarium;
Phomasis;
ring rot.

The appearance of wireworms in a potato plot poses a danger in the form of almost complete loss of the crop. However, by regularly carrying out activities on how to get rid of wireworms in a potato plot, you can protect root crops from its effects. In addition, this article provided an answer to a frequently asked question: is it possible to plant potatoes affected by wireworms?