Effective ways to get rid of wireworms on a site with potatoes: a review of drugs, folk remedies and useful recommendations

Wireworms, eating potato tubers, significantly reduce the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the crop. At the same time, they live in the ground, so sometimes it is difficult to notice the threat, and the damage done is noticeable only when excavated. To avoid this, you need to know how to get rid of wireworms on the potato plot. Today, there are many methods for this very different principle of action.

The wireman - who is he?

Although the wireworm looks like a worm of golden or brown color, in fact it is a larva of nutcracker beetles belonging to the family Elateridae. All over the world there are 400 genera. In the territory of the former Soviet Union, damage to agricultural crops is caused mainly by larvae of beetles from the genera Agriotes and Selatosomus. Also in the south of the European part there are nutcrackers Melanotus. Representatives of the Athous and Limonius genera are less likely to cause harm. The length of the worm larvae is usually from 1 to 4.5 cm.

The development of the nutcracker lasts about 5 years, and of these, up to 4 years, the beetle is in the larval stage. After the first year of life, he needs a large amount of food. The "favorite treat" of the garden pest is the root systems of some plants and potato tubers rich in starch.

The harm he brings to potatoes

Potatoes damaged by wireworms are very slow in growth. Larvae not only suck nutrients and juices from tubers, but also cause serious mechanical damage to them. They, in turn, are a kind of "entrance gate" for pathogenic microorganisms. For example, for fungi and bacteria. Therefore, tubers are affected by a putrefactive process. All this reduces the consumer characteristics of the future crop.
Agronomists claim that wireworms inflict no less damage to potato crops than the main enemy of the culture - the Colorado potato beetle. But if the latter is easy to identify and destroy, because he and his larvae infect the aerial part of plants, then golden worms eat potatoes in the ground, and it is more difficult to deal with them. How to prevent the appearance of wireworms in potatoes and how to get rid of it on your site?

Agrotechnical measures against wireworm

Agrotechnical methods of controlling wireworms are actions that reduce the number of larvae on a site without the use of special tools and chemicals. Such measures include:

1. Deep seasonal digging in the spring before planting and in the fall after harvesting potatoes. At the same time, the depth of cultivation of the soil should be about 25-30 cm. In the process of digging, carefully select larvae, pupae and adult nutcrackers from the ground. Removing weed rhizomes will also be beneficial. Especially wireworms like to try common wheatgrass and Ivan-tea.Therefore, if these plants are on the site, due attention should be paid to digging.
   

   Soil cultivation in the spring months contributes to the death of recently made egg clutches of the nutcracker under the influence of bright rays of the sun, and in the fall as a result of frost.

2. Competent crop rotation. This method is especially relevant when cultivating potatoes in large areas, when it is not possible to dig it well. If you constantly plant potatoes in the same place, then wireworms will love a site with a sufficient amount of feed, and their number will increase annually. Therefore, cultures must be periodically replaced. For example, after 2 years of cultivating potatoes, sow the area under it with legumes: beans, peas. Wireworms do not tolerate the substances that make up these plants, and leave the territory. You can also use buckwheat, lupine, spring rape.
3. "Abstraction". Fighting wireworms on a potato plot includes planting in salad aisles. Its juicy roots really like the wireworm. Most likely, he will switch from tubers to them, and the crop will suffer less.
4. Watering. One of the reasons that cause larvae to actively damage potato tubers is the search for moisture. Therefore, in dry weather, they cause more damage to landings. A countermeasure is abundant soil moisture during the absence of rain. This will benefit crops.
5. Regular weeding and lack of thickening of weeds next to potatoes. Larvae concentrate in the places of root plexus. Therefore, it is not recommended to plant potatoes next to uncultivated areas or lawns. If there is undeveloped soil nearby, then it is necessary to create a trench, the width of which should be 80-100 cm. Landings themselves should be weeded if possible.

Fighting wireworms on a potato plot is easily combined with soil care.

Soil acidity reduction

Another agrotechnical way to reduce the number of larvae is liming acidic soils and reducing their acidity. This will scare away the pest and reduce the damage it causes. At the same time, it is not recommended to use lime from wireworm in areas intended for growing potatoes. Such a substance reduces the plant's immunity to scab - a common disease of culture. Therefore, it is better to take chalk, eggshells or dolomite flour.

Another simple remedy available to every gardener and effectively reducing the acidity of the soil is ordinary wood ash. It is added to the ground when plowing, digging, planting tubers in the hole. Good results are shown by the application of ash remaining after burning potato tops and the green part of sunflower after drying.

Siderata

The use of green manure, or green manure, is a fairly universal way of healing the land used for growing crops. They saturate the soil with useful substances in an easily digestible form for future planting. Siderates will help against wireworms and even weeds.
If legumes after harvest are removed from the site, green manure is usually embedded in the ground. Lupine, vetch, alfalfa are effective against larvae of the beetle-nutcracker. Mustard is the most effective as siderate from wireworm. It includes alkoloids that are harmful to the larvae.

Often, potato planting owners plant tubers in one half of the territory, and green fertilizers in the other, and vice versa for the next season. But this method has a significant drawback: 50% of the soil is idle annually. A way out of this situation is to plant green manure after harvesting early ripe varieties. Before the autumn cold weather, green fertilizers usually manage to grow enough.

Chemical methods of control

The chemical industry offers a wide range of wireworm preparations.A careful gardener who cares about the quality of the crop should use them carefully and in full accordance with the instructions to avoid the accumulation of toxic substances in the tubers. When used correctly, these products are safe, and potatoes will not cause harm to health when eaten.

Before plowing or digging the site, insecticides in the form of granules are added. You can combine the control of wireworm and fertilizer. To do this, you must:

1. Prepare a solution of one of the pesticides (Actellic - 15 ml, Decis Extra - 4 ml, Karate - 1 ml) in 80 ml of water and 0.2 l of acetone, mix all the ingredients well.
2. Take 5 kg of superphosphate and distribute it with a thin layer (you can lay a thin film on the ground).
3. Spray the granules evenly with the prepared solution.
4. After this, superphosphate moistened with a solution of pesticides should be dried in the shade.

Also, at the time of planting, you can shed the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate (5 g per 10 l of water) of 0.5 l in each well. This tool not only scares off wireworms, but also has an antibacterial effect on the earth, which will further protect plantings from possible diseases.

Another means that helps fight against the larvae of the nutcracker beetle and at the same time fertilize the soil is drugs with a nitrogen content:

• ammonium sulfate (30 g per 1 m²);
• ammonium chloride (30 g per 1 m²);
• ammonium nitrate (20 g per 1 m²).

Other wire products:

1. "Actara." A solution of this product is sprayed on the potato tubers before planting. When they are sealed in the wells, you can add dry powder. Experienced gardeners respond well to the use of "Actara", which is effective against many pests.
2. "Prestige" is similar in its effect and use technology to Aktara.
3. “Bazudin” has a stronger effect, but is toxic to humans and animals. Therefore, it is advisable to use it only with extensive defeat of potato plantings by a wireworm with the inefficiency of Aktara and other methods of combating pest. The active substance is diazonin. The consumption of the drug per 10 m² - 15 g.
4. Such products as Thunder, Gromoboy-2, Medvetoks-U, Pochin also contain diazonin and are dangerous to humans, but produce a powerful and prolonged effect.

Any chemicals against garden pests should be used in compliance with safety precautions and following the instructions exactly. She always comes with every drug.

Biological preparations

The biological method of controlling agricultural pests is the deliberate planting of other organisms that destroy them, but do not harm cultivated plants. Nemabact is effective against wireworm. This is a powder that contains microscopic-sized nematode worms. She enters into symbiosis with bacteria that live in the soil. In the absence of wireworms, they are inactive, but when a pest appears, bacteria invade his body and eat it from the inside. After the enemy is eliminated, the nematodes are relocated to a new victim.

Folk remedies

Some gardeners are afraid to use chemicals at their site, for fear of toxic effects on plantings and crops. In this case, folk remedies for the wireworm will come to the rescue:

1. Nettle infusion: 500 g of green raw materials are crushed and incubated in 10 l of water for 12 hours.
2. Dandelion infusion: the preparation scheme is similar, only 200 g of plants will be required.
3. Infusion of celandine: 100 g per 10 liters.
4. Onion peel: it is added a handful to each well when planting potatoes.
5. The eggshell is evenly distributed on the surface of the soil.
6. Planting next to marigold or calendula potatoes will scare off larvae and other plant pests.
7. Salt from wireworms, like eggshells, is scattered across the soil. It is advisable to do this before rain, so that the solution penetrates the ground to the potato tubers.

Watering plantings with infusions of plants should be carried out three times.Between treatments should take 7-10 days.

"Bait"

Barley, wheat, corn and rye from wireworms can be used as a culture to bait a pest. To do this, cereal seeds are sown in the area where potatoes will be planted in early spring, 2 weeks before the tubers are planted. During this time, the cereals will have time to germinate and become a tasty prey for hungry larvae and nutcracker beetles. It is enough to make rows, the distance between which will be about 60 cm. After 14 days, the earth is dug up, while destroying the worms located around the roots of the sprouts.

To enhance the effect, cereal seeds are pre-treated with Decis or Karate chemicals. This will destroy all the larvae that will feed on cereal sprouts. The deadline for removing funds from the soil is a month, so chemicals are not threatened by the future crop.

Another type of lure is pieces of potatoes, beets or carrots buried in the ground to a depth of 5 to 15 cm. The places of their incorporation into the soil are marked with sticks stuck in the ground. After a few days, it remains to get the bait and destroy the wireworm in boiling water or by burning. To facilitate the work, you can plant pieces of root crops on a rod or even on a fishing line. After 3-4 days you just have to pull out the “catch” and kill the worms.

Appetizing wireworm larvae are eaten by chickens and other poultry. This is true for those who keep them in their household.

Another improvement to this method involves the use of glass jars. They are dug into the ground to the neck, and all the same pieces of root crops are put into them. You need to choose a shady place on the site, because wireworms are afraid of direct sunlight. Every 2–3 days of the bait should be checked and destroyed by pests. We must not forget to replace the root crops with new ones or cut off their weathered side. Old baits do not seem attractive to wireworms.

Preventative measures

To forget about the problem of damage to potato tubers by the larvae of the nutcracker beetle, it is important not only to use wireworm remedies, but also to take preventive measures every season. This will protect against the appearance of a pest in the area.

Prevention includes:

• deep digging in the spring and in the fall;
• soil digging in May and June, as a result of which the beetle eggs will appear on the surface and will be burnt by the sun;
• timely weed control;
• regular cleaning of the territory from plant and household garbage.

If you listen to these recommendations, then the risk of defeating potatoes with wireworm is significantly reduced.

Achieving the desired result is easier if you combine different methods. An integrated approach to solving the problem of the presence of nutcracker beetle larvae on the site will allow you to get a plentiful and tasty potato crop without damage at the end of the season.