Often in the garden you can find the click beetle, which destroys potato tubers, feeds on stems and leaves, leaving holes in them. You need to know how to deal with wireworms on potatoes in order to save the crop. It is quite difficult to recognize the affected fruits, only when digging them up. There are basic control methods that are more gentle for potatoes and the garden in general.
Description of the individual
Wireworms are the larva of an adult click beetle. These are black beetles that lay larvae in the ground.These larvae then damage the crop, begin to feed on roots, and eat potatoes and flower tubers.
In winter, the larva huddles in the soil under the snow. Deep in the earth she is warm. When it gets warm, the insect crawls to the surface. The wireworm loves warmth, humidity, and acidic soil. Therefore, when fighting it, it is necessary to first get rid of too acidic soil. They grow well when the air warms up to twenty degrees in spring.
If wireworms are in potatoes, it means that buttercup, woodlice, and wheatgrass are growing somewhere nearby. The worm loves to eat this. Therefore, before planting, you need to make sure that this weed is not nearby.
The bugs lay eggs not only on tubers, but also destroy all bulbous flowers, bean roots, beets, wheat, and corn. They don't leave plants alive. That is why it is necessary to fight them.
The beetles are also called nutcrackers because of the sound they make, as if they were clicking. They have a long, elongated body covered in black armor. It is very hard that it is impossible to crush it.
How dangerous are beetles?
Small larvae do not cause much harm. The most dangerous are the larvae that live longer than two years. They already look like worms, their body is about three centimeters long. It becomes hard and durable. Its color ranges from yellow to brown.
Then these worms already begin to actively eat the crop. They feed on potato tubers, beets, plant roots, stems, seeds, without leaving the plant alive. They rot and die.
Gnawed potatoes lose their presentation, they rot quickly, and you need to cut a lot of them to use them as food. The larvae live a long time, therefore, if you do not get rid of them in the fall, the situation will repeat next year, and there will be significant crop losses.
That is why gardeners are struggling with these parasites.There are basic ways that help you deal with them perfectly.
What does a damaged vegetable look like?
Click beetles cause great damage to the potato crop. It is very difficult to remove wireworms from a potato tuber if it has already settled there. The vegetable is no longer suitable for eating.
In the photo you can see what infected potatoes look like. It's full of holes made by worms. They leave passages of complex shape. Sometimes rot has already begun inside. The holes in the tubers are already visible from the outside. Such a root crop is difficult to peel and cut, removing these passages and worms. It is often thrown away and not used for food.
Fungi, rot, bacteria, and mold can enter through the holes. Such a vegetable is already difficult to save. All this greatly affects the appearance of the potatoes and the quality. These insects must be destroyed, otherwise they will eventually destroy the entire crop.. It is best to take preventive measures.
Chemicals to help
There are a lot of secrets on how to get rid of wireworms in a potato field. Their descriptions can be read on the Internet or in books about gardening. The use of chemicals is especially effective. After all, some elements are very poisonous for parasites.
To protect the plantings, it is recommended to fertilize the soil with ammonium sulfate in the spring. It contains ammonia, which is harmful to beetles. You can also treat planting sites on potato plots with manganese dissolved in water. But it is important to adjust the acidity level of the soil, as this can destroy the leaves and stems of the crop.
What to do if wireworm larvae have already settled on potatoes. Many gardeners use a special drug BB1 - an entomopathogenic fungus. It affects insects by germinating on their body. The parasites dry out, become covered with plaque, and cannot develop and function normally.Fungi suppress their vital functions. Before removing parasites with this fungus, the soil must be moistened.
There are other products that can be purchased in specialized stores: Force, Cruiser, Aktara, Prestige, Taboo. These products should be used to water the soil and planting material. You can ask store consultants about how to eliminate pests.
How to use traps?
Every experienced gardener knows how to protect potatoes from the click beetle without resorting to purchasing expensive toxic products. You can always make traps in a potato field against these insects that destroy plants and flowers. It is known that a trap and trap perfectly protects the crop from uninvited guests.
You can prepare traps in the spring. In the place where insects used to live, you need to dig small holes, put grass, hay, remains of tops, and branches in them. Soon the pests will flock there. Then this grass needs to be burned. If necessary, repeat the procedure. You can also plant in the place where there will be potatoes, barley, and oats.
As soon as small shoots appear, they need to be dug up. There will be worms on the roots. They will need to be destroyed immediately.
You can throw pieces of beets and carrots to crawling enemies, burying them in the ground. After three or four days they can be dug up with worms. This is how these nutcrackers fall into traps. They should be scalded with hot water and burned. In order not to forget where the traps are hidden, you can stick small sticks on them.
You can also bury it almost entirely in the ground. There should be some tasty bait inside. Check them every day, free them from insects, add fresh pieces.In the fall, you should also check the harvested soil for the presence of dangerous worms.
All these traps are sometimes more effective than toxic substances against click beetle larvae.
Traditional methods
The fight against wireworms also involves folk remedies. They have been known for a very long time and are passed on from generation to generation.
To destroy wireworms, the places where potatoes are to be planted should be treated with infusions of various herbs: nettle, dandelion, celandine, wormwood. The aroma and bitterness of these plants will repel beetles. It is recommended to insist for half a day; take a glass of herbs in a bucket of water. They must be fresh and hand-picked.
You can water the holes with a solution of manganese. This will both disinfect the future harvest and repel worms. Potassium permanganate also protects against fungal diseases.
To get rid of pests, use onion peels and mustard powder. Can be alternated planting potatoes with mustard. The black beetle will not tolerate this grass and will run away.
Every year you should dig up a section of the potato field, change the location, and sprinkle it with salt. If potatoes grow in the same area year after year, then there is no hope that the pests will get rid of them. But the field cannot be launched either. An unkempt garden bed is a source of breeding for bacteria and insects.
Prevention and feeding
It is necessary to know measures to prevent the occurrence of larvae, so that later you do not rack your brains over how to get rid of wireworms. There are folk remedies that will help protect the crop.
It is very important to patiently take care of the area, then you won’t have to think about how to get rid of wireworms in potatoes.
In the fall, it’s worth digging up the garden properly. This method is especially effective just before frost.The larvae will crawl out and freeze. They won't be able to survive.
They also dig up plantations in early spring on sunny days. Direct sunlight will help kill the worms.
It is dangerous to take soil from untested other people's gardens. There may be a lot of harmful insects there. Beetles love acidic soil. Gardeners sometimes make the mistake of putting too much manure in the ground. This increases its acidity. Acidic soil can be regulated by planting sorrel, plantain, fertilizing the soil with ash and lime.
Periodically, every two years, you should change the place for potatoes. There is no need to constantly plant the same plants in the same place. But it is also important to maintain the correct fit.
In the place where there were potatoes, you can plant something that nutcrackers hate. This could be legumes, beans, mustard. Then the larvae will escape from the fields to places where they can feed.
After harvesting, it is important to check several times to see if there are any root crops left in the ground. After all, this is food for the development of worms. They grow up and become much more dangerous.
You can scatter raw egg shells over the area. Many insects are afraid of it. This is protection not only from click beetles, but also from slugs and mole crickets. In addition, it is an excellent fertilizer for the roots.
It is important to constantly fight weeds, and also pay attention not only to potatoes, but also to other plants.
It is important for gardeners to study all the techniques on how to get rid of wireworms in potatoes. If you use useful and safe means, you can save your garden from uninvited guests once and for all.
