How to get rid of wireworms in potatoes: chemicals and folk remedies

If wireworms appear in potatoes, every gardener should know how to get rid of them. Because if the pest is allowed to develop undisturbed and not treated, the entire potato crop, along with other tuber crops, will be destroyed. The larvae of this beetle are very voracious and live in the soil for four years before reaching adulthood.

It's important to note that the fight against this pest is a long one. The larvae quickly adapt to new conditions, and control methods, whether chemicals or folk remedies, must be constantly adjusted. To succeed in the battle and ultimately preserve your harvest, it's important to gain as much information as possible on the subject.

About the wireworm

If a wireworm has settled in (see photo) (And description), you'll only understand how to combat it after getting to know the pest up close. It's a small worm, rarely reaching even two and a half centimeters in length (which is actually quite large for a garden pest). This parasite gets its name from its hard, wire-like feel. The worm's color ranges from light yellow to a deep brown.

The worm is the larval stage before the click beetle develops. First, small eggs, about 1.5 millimeters long, hatch in the soil. They are white and oval in shape. Soon, wireworms emerge from the eggs, and—an extremely dangerous and annoying development for gardeners—they become adult beetles, which only emerge from the soil in their fourth year. The adult beetle lays its eggs in the soil and flies away. This means that for the next four years, if left untreated, the wireworm larvae will continue to devour your potatoes and other root vegetables.

What gardeners should remember from reading this section is that it's the larvae that cause the most damage to potatoes and other root crops. They like to feed on wheatgrass roots and root crops, especially potatoes. Adult beetles emerge from the soil as soon as it warms, sometime in April or early May. They then hide in damp, shady areas of the plot, feeding on cereal crops and grass growth.

Interesting! Traditionally, it is considered the main the Colorado potato beetle is the potato's enemyBut its damage isn't as noticeable as that from wireworm larvae. Because wireworms are difficult to detect, unlike the Colorado potato beetle, the larvae of these pests feed on potato tubers while they're still in the ground.

Methods for detecting wireworms

Of all tuber crops, as noted in this article, wireworms prefer potatoes. Several signs can help you tell that you and your family aren't the first to enjoy the harvest.

Among the main signs of potato damage by wireworms, the following can be noted:

1. Freshly dug tubers have narrow through holes, and small dark indentations in the skin are also noticeable upon visual inspection.
2. Sometimes, damaged or wilting plants appear among otherwise healthy potato plants. This may be a sign that wireworms have begun devouring the crop. The larvae migrate well vertically, but are poor horizontally. That is, they are unlikely to move more than twenty centimeters from their feeding site. For this reason, damage typically occurs to individual plants, rather than the drying and wilting of entire beds or planting strips.
3. Wireworm larvae can be accidentally dug up while gardening. During their active period, the larvae are often found at a depth of no more than ten, and often even five, centimeters. Adults resemble ground beetles, but they have a distinctive clicking sound (to hear the click, the adult beetle must be turned over from its back to its belly).

What is the danger of wireworms for potatoes?

When wireworms appear in potatoes, it's important to know exactly how to get rid of them in the fall or at any other time of year. But before we move on to specific methods of getting rid of the pest, it's important to discuss once again why it's dangerous to the crop.

It's important to understand that if a plot is infested with larvae up to 3 cm long, more than 60% of potato tubers will be affected if no action is taken. They will tunnel into the potatoes, making the roots unfit for consumption.

While damaged potatoes are still in the soil and the gardener is unaware of it, the risk of putrefactive bacteria, nematodes, and fungi developing in the flesh of the damaged tuber increases. Wireworms can also feed on the succulent roots, meaning that even undamaged tubers will be deprived of nutrition, and the yield of the plants will sharply and noticeably decrease.

Wireworms have a very wide habitat; they can be found practically anywhere. They feed not only on potato tubers, but also on carrot and beet roots, and they also eat the roots of wheatgrass and bluegrass. Potato plantings are attractive to larvae precisely because they always provide an abundance of succulent food. The pest is active throughout the plant's growing season, and without control measures, this activity often leads to the plant's withering.

How to get rid of wireworms

It's worth noting that folk remedies are only partially effective in eliminating wireworms in potatoes. It's important to take comprehensive measures and not forget about prevention. For the fight to be successful, it's necessary to address several areas simultaneously.

Among the main directions for combating the voracious beetle larvae, it is necessary to note spring soil cultivation. add fertilizer to the soil Pest control. You'll also need to set up traps and bait around the plot, not only for larvae but also for adult beetles. It's recommended to treat potato tubers with active ingredients before planting. Mechanical weeding and soil loosening are essential during the growing season.

Preventive measures that must be observed at all times:

1. Crop rotation. This means that you can't plant potatoes in the same area year after year. This will not only lead to larval development, but also to crop failure and the violation of an important agricultural practice.
2. It's important to kill the ripened crop promptly; under no circumstances should you leave the roots in the ground over the winter. This will eliminate both the food source and the heat source for the wireworms. This means the larvae will no longer be able to comfortably overwinter on your property.
3. It's essential to take measures to reduce soil acidity. Indicator plants, such as sorrel, plantain, or horsetail, are natural signs that the soil in your garden has become too acidic.
4. It's worth remembering that the larvae and beetles have natural enemies, which can be attracted to your property. For example, these include birds (starlings, crows, rooks, and titmice). How can you attract birds to your property? Building a birdhouse is a useful and necessary idea!
5. Ground beetles are also among the wireworm's natural enemies. These are insects, but they are carnivorous and happily eat the bugs.
6. Burdock and couch grass in the area are an excellent home for larvae, so these weeds should be removed from the area first.
7. You can plant green manure plants that will repel wireworms with their scent alone. For example, mustard is a surefire way to get rid of wireworms in potatoes. Mustard is planted in the fall, wait until it grows 10 cm and then cut it off, then bury it in the ground for the winter. Repeat this process in early spring. The rotting plant releases an essential oil that repels the pest in question.
8. Green manure plants for controlling wireworms in potatoes include rapeseed, rapeseed and marigolds, spinach, sweet clover and even buckwheat.
9. Legumes can also be planted near potatoes; for some reason, the larvae of this beetle dislike peas, beans, and all types of beans. These plants will also benefit the plot, enriching the soil with nitrogen.
10. Wireworms also can't stand the scent of beautiful dahlias. Wheatgrass, too, shouldn't grow near these flowers, as its roots provide a perfect habitat for harmful larvae.

Treating potatoes with Prestige

Mild chemicals can help get rid of wireworms in potatoes. Specifically, you can protect the tubers from attack by treating them with the active ingredient "Prestige" before planting. After planting, the potatoes will lose their attractiveness to pests—not just wireworms, but also mole crickets, Colorado potato beetles, and May beetles.

True, the instructions state that the effect of this product only lasts two months. But this is enough time for the first leaves to appear in the garden bed and for the Colorado potato beetle to react. To check the wireworm larvae's reaction, you'll need to dig up the bushes as they grow and flower. However, after two months, the potatoes are once again unprotected, and the pests will actively flock to the young potatoes.

Interesting! Potato tubers for winter storage are dug up on average two months later. In this situation, gardeners must take measures to protect against pests. Early potato varieties will be reliably protected by chemicals for exactly two months, after which the harvest can be dug up and eaten.

Other methods for getting rid of wireworms in potatoes:

• It is essential to dig up the area in early spring, when both the larvae and adult beetles are still inactive and will become easy prey for birds and will die in the sun.
• Remove weeds and roots, as they provide an excellent home for wireworms.
• During the summer, it's essential to loosen the soil between potato plants. This will help remove egg clutches.
• Just before the first frost in the fall, it's essential to dig up the area. This will allow the insects to be released into the open air, where they will die from the frost.
• In the spring, apply fertilizer containing nitrogen and ammonia to the soil. Wireworms find these fertilizers unpleasant. They also dislike soils with low acidity.
• When planting potatoes, you can add a few granules of superphosphate to the holes.
• When planting potatoes, you can add a small amount of special soil containing predatory nematodes to the holes. These microscopic worms are predators and will actively feed on beetle larvae. However, the nematodes are harmless to potatoes and humans.

If wireworms appear in your potatoes, there are many ways to get rid of them. Don't underestimate this pest, as without proper control measures, it can destroy 60% of your entire potato crop.